Triple A
by Itachi-21
Summary: After Aizen betrays Soul Society, taking Ichimaru and Tosen with him, three female Shinigami are chosen to take their places as captains of the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions. Each female has exceptional powers, but will their strength protect Soul Society or destroy it? Ukitake/OC Kyouraku/OC Byakuya/OC
1. Captains' Meeting

Chapter 1: Captains' Meeting

Yamamoto Genryusai sat in his chair at the front of the captains' meeting room in the First Division's barracks. The captains for Divisions Two through Thirteen were gathered in front of him, with the captains for the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Division missing. Aizen Sosuke, Ichimaru Gin, and Tosen Kaname had left Soul Society the day before with the Menos Grande, and Yamamoto had called a captains' meeting as soon as he could.

"What's this about, Yama-ji?" Kyouraku asked curiously, "Are we discussing something about Aizen?"

"Not exactly," Yamamoto replied, "It has to do with Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen."

"Well? Hurry up and tell us," Kurotsuchi Mayuri snapped, "This is taking time away from my research."

"Head Captain, have you, by any chance, found new possible captains for the Third, Fifth, and Ninth Divisions?" Unohana Retsu guessed.

"Precisely," Yamamoto answered, "I found three Shinigami who have agreed to take the captain's positions as long as they pass the test."

"Who are they?" Kyouraku inquired with mouting curiosity.

"Saki Kuroichi, Amina Kuroichi, and Hanako Kuroichi."

"Never heard of them before," Zaraki Kenpachi said indifferently.

"Of course you haven't," Yamamoto said irritably, "They've been training in isolation for the past century."

"The Kuroichi sisters, huh?" Kyouraku chuckled, "I have a vague memory of Saki calling me a pervert and warning me to stay away from little Hanako. That was a long time ago."

"Really?" Ukitake Jushiro laughed, "I don't recall ever meeting them though."

Yamamoto thumped his cane on the ground to regain the captains' attention. "Anyway, those three will be arriving at the North Gate tomorrow. I would like a volunteer to go see them. Who wants to go?"

"I'll go!" Kyouraku volunteered.

"No."

"Eh? Why not?"

"Because those three told me they don't want to see you," Yamamoto explained bluntly.

"Ouch," Kyouraku commented.

"I'm willing to go, Head Captain," Unohana said. Yamamoto nodded.

"Very well. Be at the North Gate by noon. I've already told Danzomaru about the three newcomers, so he won't attack them."

"Understood, Head Captain," Unohana bowed her head slightly.

"Head Captain," Soifon started, "Do you know the newcomers' abilities?"

"Unfortunately, no, but I do know that the three Kuroichis won't be easy opponents, especially if they use their Bankai," Yamamoto stated ominously.

Zaraki grinned. "Is that so? Then, I look forward to fighting them."

"Back off!" Mayuri spat, "I'm going to use them for my research!"

Yamamoto thumped his cane on the ground in anger. "You will do no such thing!" he boomed, "And who they fight is their choice, Captain Zaraki."

He glared around the room at the other captains. "Any other _questions_?"

Nobody said anything.

"Good. Dismissed."

* * *

**_I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but I promise that the chapters in the future will definitely be longer._**

**_Reviews are greatly appreciated!_**


	2. The Newcomers

Chapter 2: The Newcomers

The next morning, Kyouraku and Ukitake were sitting in the barracks of the Thirteenth Division. Kyouraku was describing everything he remembered about the Kuroichi sisters to Ukitake, who had been too ill to meet them a century ago.

"Saki, the oldest, had black hair and green eyes. She seemed to like being alone, never really hanging around her sisters," Kyouraku told Ukitake, "Even as a kid, she was really adept at seeing through lies and had taken on more responsibility that most children."

"Sounds like a child prodigy to me." Ukitake smiled.

"Oh, all three of them could be considered prodigies," Kyouraku said, "Amina had short, spiky, brown hair with brown eyes and loved to pick fights with strong people. On the other hand, Hanako had golden hair and blue eyes and was really shy. She never tried to stand up for herself when she was bullied, so Amina was usually the one to protect her."

"Saki never tried to protect Hanako?"

"She did whenever she was around. Those who suffered Saki's cold wrath made sure to stay away from the Kuroichis for the rest of their lives." They both laughed at Kyouraku's slight exaggeration.

"Did you ever find any clues as to their zanpakuto abilities?" Ukitake pressed. Kyouraku furrowed his brow, thinking.

"Well, Amina did kind of have a strong connection with the wind, and Hanako was labeled as a kind of psychic," Kyouraku shrugged, "I don't know about Saki though. I didn't see her much and the few times I did see her, she called me a pervert and a pedophile and left."

"And their parents?"

"I only met their father, who had golden hair and blue eyes. Hanako takes after him. He was a kind man, and all three girls really loved him." Kyouraku glanced at the sky, "Well, it's almost noon. I think I'll go spy on Captain Unohana for a bit as she escorts the Kuroichis into Seireitei. Coming?"

"Are you sure? We'll get to see them tomorrow when they go through the initiation," Ukitake asked while rising to his feet.

"But we won't get to talk to them during the initiation," Kyouraku whined, heading out the door with Ukitake at his heels.

"They said they don't want to see you though."

"Then they won't see me."

* * *

"Hey, hey. How much longer until we get to the gate?"

"Three minutes and twenty-three seconds."

"You sure, Saki?"

"Saki-chan's never been wrong before, Amina-chan."

"Well, yeah. That's true, but can we walk faster?"

"You're the one who's walking the slowest, Amina."

"Oh, shut up, Saki."

There was a moment of silence as the three girls continued to walk south. Hanako glanced at her older sister, Saki.

"Saki-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did Head Captain Yamamoto ask us to be the new captains? I-I mean, we only stayed in Seireitei for a day, and that was a century ago. Shouldn't he have picked someone that he knew better?"

Saki didn't answer for a while, and when she did, she said, "Being the psychic that you are, Hanako, I'm surprised you don't know the reason he asked us."

"You don't look surprised," Amina muttered. Saki ignored the comment.

"Head Captain Yamamoto deliberately went outside the borders of Seireitei to look for the new captains in hope of finding more allies against this Aizen Sousuke," she explained boredly.

"This Aizen must be really strong if the Shinigami of Seireitei isn't enough to take him on," Amina commented. "Are we there yet?"

"Thirty-three more seconds."

"Goddammit."

Thirty-three seconds later…

"Ah, you three are the ones Head Captain Yamamoto was talking about?" The Gate Guardian, Danzomaru, asked.

"Yes, we are. Would you mind letting us through?" Saki asked with cool politeness.

"Well, I'd let you through but your captain escort isn't here yet. I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait," Danzomaru told the three.

"Very well. We'll wait here until our escort arrives," Saki decided.

"There is no need," a new voice made the three girls and Danzomaru turn to see Unohana and Isane approaching them, "We are here now. I apologize if you had to wait long."

"There was no wait at all," Amina said.

Unohana smiled. "I am captain of the Fourth Division, Unohana Retsu. This is my Lieutenant, Kotetsu Isane. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you." Isane bowed hurriedly.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Hanako bowed back, "I am Hanako Kuroichi. These are my older sisters, Amina and Saki."

"Yo," Amina said.

"Hello," Saki nodded.

Still smiling, Unohana continued, "Head Captain asked me to tell you that your initiation will be tomorrow at mid-morning. Today, however, I will be giving you a tour of Seireitei and introducing you to some people, and you three will need to talk to the Head Captain as well."

"Alright. Let's go!" Amina cheered.

"Thank you for guarding the gate, Danzomaru," Unohana said to the gigantic gatekeeper as she and Isane led the group into Seireitei.

"This place is huge!" Amina commented as Hanako stared around with wide, blue eyes.

"Your surprise intrigues me, Kuroichi-san," Unohana said, "All three of you have been here for one day a century ago. Surely, you couldn't have forgotten everything?"

"Well, I think I did," Amina admitted sheepishly.

"Captain Unohana, what exactly happened with Aizen?" Saki asked quietly.

"Did Head Captain Yamamoto not explain it to you when he asked you to become the new captains?" Unohana was confused.

"All he mentioned was a betrayal from three captains and that three replacements were needed," Hanako informed Unohana.

"Well, I'm sure that the Head Captain would want to explain things to you himself. You should wait until we arrive at his office," Unohana suggested.

"H-Hai," Hanako agreed quietly.

"What's going on over there?" Amina asked suddenly, pointing at a particularly boisterous bar. As the group approached, an obviously drunk Shinigami approached them. Either he was too drunk to notice Unohana or he didn't care that she was there. He began to blabber nonsense at poor Hanako, who looked terrified and confused.

"Sooooo, sweetie! Wanna grab a driiiink?" he slurred. Amina grit her teeth and Saki's eyes narrowed, both displeased with the way their sister was being spoken to.

"N-no, th-thank you," Hanako stuttered. The drunken Shinigami ignored her protests, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her towards the bar, where his wasted friends were laughing and watching.

A loud _crack _echoed through the street. Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds before the Shinigami started howling in pain, his arm broken. Amina stood in front of Hanako, hands balled into fists.

"Touch my sister like that again and I won't hesitate to break your other arm," she snarled, eyes flashing dangerously.

"You bitch!" One of the other drunks from the bar ran at Amina, clearly intending to try and avenge his friend. Key word: try.

He didn't get very far before Saki used Oni Dekopin, flicking her pointer finger at him and sending him crashing into the wall.

"Sorry, Captain Unohana, but do you mind if we teach these drunks a lesson?" Saki asked.

"Go right ahead, but please keep the damage to a minimum," Unohana requested.

Meanwhile, Amina was jeering at the Shinigami that was hit by Oni Dekopin. "C'mon, man! Saki barely put any force into that Oni Dekopin. Are you so weak that you can't even withstand that?"

"Why you little…!" More drunken Shinigami stormed out of the bar, intending to take on both Amina and Saki.

* * *

"What do you think so far, Ukitake?" Kyouraku asked lazily. The two captains were lying on the roof of a nearby building, spying on the three newcomers.

"They're certainly interesting people," Ukitake said, "Where did they learn to become Shinigami?"

"Their father taught them, I think," Kyouraku answered, "Oh, look. A fight's broken out."

Sure enough, the Shinigami from the bar were converging on Saki and Amina. Ukitake stood up abruptly, but Kyouraku tugged him down again. "Don't interfere. This is our chance to see their skills."

"It might get out of hand," Ukitake protested.

"If it does, then we can step in, but for now, let's observe their power." Kyouraku settled himself more comfortably on the roof. After a few moments, Ukitake sighed and gave in, watching the fight with a bit of apprehension.

"My, oh my," Kyouraku commented, "Amina-chan is taking out enemies left and right." It was true. Without drawing her zanpakuto, Amina was more than a match for the attacking (and drunk) Shinigami.

"However," Kyouraku continued, "it doesn't seem like Saki-chan's even trying to take down her opponents."

Ukitake's eyes flicked to the black-haired girl, who was dodging all of her adversaries' attacks with grace. _They're good._ _Those two definitely have a chance of becoming captain, but what about Hanako? _he wondered, watching the shy Kuroichi.

Suddenly, he felt a strong reiatsu settle near the bar. The spiritual pressure was unlike anything Ukitake experienced before. It held a foreboding power, and there was a un-Shinigami-like taint to it. Even Kyouraku sat up when he felt it. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the reiatsu was gone. Ukitake noticed that the Shinigami from the bar were all knocked down by the force of the reiatsu. Unohana was supporting Isane, who also looked deeply shaken.

"Oh, boy," Kyouraku murmured, "Which one of those girls did that?"

Ukitake said nothing. He was pondering about the taint the reiatsu held. It felt strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He couldn't even tell who released the spiritual pressure, being too far away.

"Things are going to get interesting now, don't you think, Ukitake?" Kyouraku's question brought the white-haired captain out of his thoughts. "Yama-ji was right when he said they won't be easy opponents. I kind of look forward to tomorrow now."

"Yeah," Ukitake agreed.


	3. Initiation

Chapter 3: Initiation

"I am glad that you three managed to make it on schedule," Yamamoto said to the Kuroichis as they stood in his office.

"Trust me, Head Captain, we'd never be late for something like this," Amina grinned. Yamamoto nodded.

"Did Niba come with you? I haven't seen him in a century," Yamamoto questioned.

"Father is dead. We have been orphans for the past century," Saki stated flatly.

There was a long silence following those words as Yamamoto studied the three girls. Finally, he sighed and said, "I'm sorry to hear that. How did he die?"

"It was an Adjucha," Hanako whispered, "An Adjucha attacked us and Father sacrificed himself to protect us."

"No," Saki cut in harshly, "It was my fault. I killed Father."

"That's not true, Saki!" Amina shouted, "You were too young to control your power. It's not your fault Father's dead."

"Enough!" Yamamoto interrupted, "We can discuss this later. Right now, your captain's initiations are important. Tomorrow, at mid-morning, you three will each get to choose one lieutenant and one captain to demonstrate your skills against. Keep in mind that you are not allowed to use Bankai against a lieutenant, but Bankai is allowed against a captain. You will be tested in alphabetical order by first name, so it would be Amina, Hanako, and Saki. You will each take on a lieutenant first, so that you can have a rest and regain your strength to fight against a captain. Killing is NOT allowed, am I clear?"

"Understood," the three girls chorused together.

"Good. I wish the three of you luck."

* * *

The next morning, the stadium was crowded with Shinigami that came to catch a glimpse of the new potential captains. The front row was occupied by the captains with their respective lieutenants sitting beside them. Many of them looked excited, especially the members of the Eleventh Division. In fact, Ikkaku could barely keep still.

Saki, Amina, and Hanako sat together, doing their best to ignore the stares that were directed at them. Saki didn't seem to have any trouble dealing with all the attention she was receiving, but Hanako looked a little nervous and kept glancing around while Amina looked tense and frustrated.

"Don't these people have anything better to do than stare?" she grumbled angrily.

"Deal with it," Saki said.

"You're so cold, Saki," Amina complained.

"Deal with it," Saki repeated.

"Umm, Amina-chan," Hanako said hesitantly.

"Hmm, what's wrong?" Amina asked. Hanako nodded in the direction of where the captains were sitting.

"Isn't that the captain you picked yesterday? The one with the spiky white hair?"

"Hey, you're right! Heh, he looks like someone who can give me a challenge. That woman next to him must be his lieutenant. She doesn't look as tough as the captain, but I guess I shouldn't judge people by their looks. Do you see the ones that you'll be going up against, Hanako?"

"W-Well, the lieutenant I'm fighting is right there." She pointed to Abarai Renji, "But I don't see the captain of the Eighth Division. He's probably not here yet."

"He'll probably be here soon. Saki, which ones are you challenging again?"

"Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division, Kuchiki Rukia*, and Captain of the Second Division, Soifon," Saki answered boredly.

"Taking on the Stealth Corps, huh?" Amina grinned, "I'd wish you luck, but I don't think you need it."

"I doubt you need any luck either, Amina," Saki replied. They looked at each other for a few seconds before they turned to Hanako and said, "Good luck, Hanako."

"What? S-Stop teasing me!" Hanako protested, looking flustered. Amina collapsed in laughter and Saki permitted herself a tiny grin.

"Hello there. Are you three ladies our new potential captains?" The Kuroichi sisters looked up at the new voice. Two male captains stood in front of them. One of them wore a pink, flowered kimono over his captain's haori and a sakkat on his head. The other had long, white hair and black eyebrows.

"Y-Yes. Nice to meet you!" Hanako bowed quickly.

"Now, now, there's no need to bow," the captain wearing the sakkat said, "This is Ukitake Jushiro, and I'm Kyouraku Shunsui. Nice ta meet ya."

"Yo," Amina replied, "I'm Amina, the blonde is Hanako, and this one's Saki." She gestured to her sisters sitting next to her.

"Hmm?" Kyouraku took notice of the silent black-haired girl and smiled, "My, my, Saki-chan. You've grown since I last saw you. Do you remember me?" He patted her head.

"Don't try anything funny, woman-chaser," Saki said. Kyouraku slumped in defeat.

"So you do remember me…"

"Anyway, do you mind if we sit here?" Ukitake asked, smiling at the three.

"Eh?" Amina blinked, "I thought the captains had to sit over there."

"Well, I suppose we can be the rebels and sit over here. Right, Ukitake?" Kyouraku asked, recovering from Saki's harsh comment. Ukitake nodded.

"Well, I don't mind," Amina said, "What about you two?"

Hanako shook her head as Saki said, "I don't mind, either."

Kyouraku and Ukitake sat down next to Hanako just as Yamamoto stood up to announce the beginning of the initiation. Amina was called out first along with her first opponent, Matsumoto Rangiku. Everyone fell silent, watching the pair in the center face off.

"Kuroichi Amina," Amina introduced herself, "Nice to meet you."

"Matsumoto Rangiku," Rangiku answered, "And right back at you, Kuroichi-san."

"Just Amina is fine, Lieutenant Matsumoto." Amina grinned.

"In that case, you can just call me Rangiku," Rangiku unsheathed her zanpakuto, "Aren't you going to draw your sword?"

"Nah. The battle wouldn't be fun if I revealed all of my secrets at the beginning," Amina explained, getting into a fighting stance. "Come at me with all you've got, Rangiku."

Rangiku smirked and charged, bringing her zanpakuto back and swinging it forward in an attack. Amina stepped backwards with her right foot and kicked out with her left. Rangiku was forced to do a couple of backflips to get a safe distance away.

"Nice reflexes," she complimented Amina.

"Why, thank you." Amina gladly accepted the compliment, running forward and using Shunpo at the last moment to get behind Rangiku. The Lieutenant of the Tenth Division anticipated the move and swung her sword behind her. However, Amina caught Rangiku's wrist with her left hand, and using her right, delivered a powerful punch to Rangiku's stomach. The latter was thrown backwards and barely managed to gain a footing.

"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku commanded, releasing her zanpakuto's Shikai form.

"Guess I should summon mine now, too, huh?" Amina muttered. She held her hand out in front of her, fingers spread out. "Take control, Yoso*!" Some of the soil from the ground rose up, gathering together to form a sword. Once the creation was complete, Amina seized the sword by the handle, holding it in front of her in a defensive stance.

Yoso had a wide, broad blade with a brown hilt. _A brown hilt? _Rangiku thought. _Never seen anything like that before._

"Here I come!" Amina shouted. She dashed forward. Rangiku snapped out of her thoughts and waved Haineko's hilt. The ash that Haineko's blade had become immediately flew forward, intent on assaulting the opponent. Amina leapt into the air, but the ash followed her up. She held Yoso in front of her and yelled, "Element One: Earth!"

Dirt and rocks rose into the air, molding together to form a barrier between Amina and the ash. Haineko's attack rebounded off the defense barrier.

"That won't work!" Rangiku cried, swinging Haineko's hilt again. The ash circled around the earth wall, easily making it past the simple defensive measure Amina had used.

"Where are you aiming?" A voice asked from behind Rangiku. Startled, the latter turned around just in time for a sphere of water to crash into her body. She was shoved back into a wall by the force, her clothes and hair sopping wet.

Amina smirked triumphantly. "Element Three: Water." The hilt of Yoso had turned into a pretty blue color. _I see._ Rangiku realized. _The hilt of her zanpakuto changes color based on the element being utilized. _She swung the hilt of Haineko again. The ash flew in from all directions, closing in on Amina.

Amin sighed internally. She raised Yoso above her head and said, "Element Four: Wind!" The hilt turned gray and she swung the sword in a circle. A whirlwind started up, gusting around Amina and blowing away all of Haineko's ash.

In the audience, Kyouraku lifted his sakkat a bit. "My, my. Amina-chan's pretty skilled."

Ukitake nodded. "She is, although I've never seen a zanpakuto that can control five elements before now."

"Me neither," Kyouraku agreed, "That zanpakuto must be very powerful."

"It is," Hanako said, "Especially when she uses Bankai. Her moves become ten times stronger."

"Wow," Kyouraku whistled while Ukitake looked shocked, "I think it's interesting how she keeps her zanpakuto hidden in the elements."

"Yeah," Hanako agreed shyly, "Saki-chan also has an interesting way of summoning her zanpakuto."

"Oh? Saki-chan, how do you summon your zanpakuto?" Kyouraku asked.

"You'll see," Saki replied, clearly not inclined to share information with the Eighth Division's captain.

Suddenly, Yamamoto thumped his can on the ground. "I have seen enough," he called to Amina and Rangiku, "Kuroichi Amina. Matsumoto Rangiku. Please return to your seats. Both of you have done well. Will Kuroichi Hanako and Abarai Renji please come down to the center for their match?"

* * *

*I know Rukia isn't technically Ukitake's lieutenant yet at this point in the story, but I'm changing things up a bit.

*Elements


	4. Psych Saki's Power

Chapter 4: Psych; Saki's Power

"How'd I do?" Amina asked Saki, grinning. Saki peered at her sister through green eyes.

"You took fourteen minutes and forty-six seconds," Saki replied. Amina frowned.

"Stop counting time like that. It makes me envy you."

"My apologies." Saki turned her attention back to where Hanako and Renji were.

_Counting time?_ Kyouraku focused his gaze on Saki. _Could it be…?_

Meanwhile, Hanako and Renji faced each other in the center of the stadium.

"It is nice to meet you, Lieutenant Abarai," Hanako bowed politely, "Thank you for agreeing to take my challenge."

"Yeah," Renji rubbed the back of his head, clearly at a loss for what to say, "Sorry, but I'm not going to go easy on you just because you're a girl."

Hanako smiled. "That's all right. I won't hold back either."

Renji drew his zanpakuto. "Howl, Zabimaru!"

Hanako copied his movements. "Anticipate, Maindorida*!" Her katana's outline wavered for a second. Then, the blade became like a giant needle.

Renji let out a battle cry and swung Zabimaru. The blade extended, lashing out at Hanako. Quickly, Hanako drew a square in the air using the point of Maindorida. The square solidified, creating a transparent barrier that deflected Zabimaru's attack.

"Nice move," Renji commented as Zabimaru retracted.

The barrier shattered. "Thank you, Lieutenant Abarai," Hanako smiled sweetly. Suddenly, her gaze turned blank and her smile disappeared.

Amina leaned forward in her seat. "Crap." She turned to Saki, "Are you gonna…?"

"Yeah. Looks like I'll have to," Saki answered.

"Huh? What's going on?" Ukitake asked, confused as to what was going on.

"It's nothing bad, but I'm going to have to ask Head Captain to pause the fight for a while," Saki explained indifferently. With that, she vanished from her seat.

Out on the field, Renji, oblivious to Hanako's sudden change in behavior, swung Zabimaru again. The extending blade shot forward, about to cut its unmoving target.

Then, Saki was standing in front of Hanako, her right hand extended. She stopped Zabimaru in its tracks by catching the blade. The rest of the zanpakuto piled up on itself.

"What….?" Renji was bewildered as to why someone was interfering with his fight.

Yamamoto looked annoyed. "Kuroichi Saki, what is the meaning of this?"

Saki released Zabimaru and bowed her head apologetically to the Head Captain. "My apologies, Head Captain, but Hanako's foresight ability has decided to show up at an inappropriate time."

"What do you mean?"

"Hanako has a psychic ability, called Foresight, which allows her to catch glimpses of the future. Unfortunately, she cannot control this ability, meaning that the visions come and go whenever they please. When that happens, her gaze becomes blank, and she has no idea of what's going on around her. Luckily, the visions usually don't last long, but it when she is most vulnerable," Saki explained.

"Is it possible to bring her out of a vision by force?" Yamamoto questioned.

"I could, but I usually don't, seeing as the vision might be important."

Just then, Hanako snapped out of her daze. "Ah, sorry!" she apologized, "I just had a vision."

"Was it important?" Saki inquired quietly.

"Umm, no, I don't think so. All I saw was this teenager with orange hair and a large zanpakuto."

"I see. You should finish up your match as soon as possible in case another vision comes," Saki suggested.

"I will," Hanako promised as Saki used Shunpo to return to her seat.

Hanako turned back to Renji and smiled. "I'm sorry about the interference, Lieutenant Abarai."

"Oh, uh, that's no problem," Renji replied.

Hanako kept up her smile. "I'm also sorry that I'll have to finish up this fight now."

Before Renji could react, Hanako teleported behind him and shoved her zanpakuto straight into his head.

Gasps and shouts of outrage and shock came from the spectators. Some of the captains even stood up as Hanako slowly took Maindorida out of Renji's head. The stadium fell silent again as everyone noticed that there no blood coming from the spot where Renji's skull was pierced. However, Renji just stood there, staring straight ahead with wide eyes.

"Kuroichi Hanako, what did you do?" Yamamoto asked curiously.

"Ah, yes. My zanpakuto, Maindorida, holds psychic powers. Whenever it pierces my opponent's head, it puts them under an illusion, rendering them helpless," Hanako explained.

"Does the illusion end on its own, or does it end when you choose?"

"It ends when I want it to end, Head Captain."

"I see," Yamamoto scrutinized Hanako for a while longer, "I believe I have seen enough. Will you please snap Lieutenant Abarai out of his daydreaming and return to your seat?"

"Y-Yes." Hanako turned back to Renji for a second, but then slumped forward. "I'm sorry. I can't bring myself to hit him."

"I'll do it," Saki sighed, appearing on the field for her match. Approaching Renji, she flicked his forehead with her pointer finger, sending him flying. He hit the wall of the stadium with a loud grunt.

"What the hell?" he shouted, "What was that for?"

"I just snapped you out of an illusion. Your match is over," Saki said coldly.

"Eh? It is?" Renji rubbed his head, looking around.

"Yes, it was over the moment Hanako put you in an illusion."

"What? When?"

"Right after she said she was going to have to end the match, she put her zanpakuto into your head," Rukia, who had just arrived on the field, informed him.

"Really?" Renji laughed, "I guess I lost then."

"Renji," A cool, calculating voice said. The four in the field looked up in the direction of the Sixth Division. The captain, KUchiki Byakuya, looked at them coldly.

"Your match is finished. Get off the field so the next one can begin," Byakuya ordered his lieutenant.

"Yes, Captain," Renji quickly flash-stepped next to his captain. Hanako also returned to her seat, where she congratulated by Kyouraku, Ukitake, and Amina. Soon, everyone quieted down to watch the last lieutenant match.

Ukitake sat on the edge of his seat. Kyouraku glanced at him amusedly. "Cheering on your lieutenant, huh?"

"Yeah," Ukitake answered.

On the field, Rukia had drawn her sword. "I won't hold back," she told Saki.

Saki still looked indifferent. "I wouldn't want you to."

Rukia ran at Saki. The latter stood there, watching her approach. The moment the young lieutenant was within striking distance, Saki angled her body so that Rukia's sword passed by harmlessly on the right. Then, Saki seized Rukia by the wrist and threw her into the ground. Recovering quickly, Rukia jumped to her feet and attacked Saki again. This time, Saki dodged every single assault. Without warning, she kicked Rukia in the stomach, sending her flying through the air.

Gasping slightly, Rukia raised her zanpakuto and cried, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Her zanpakuto turned white, and a ribbon appeared at the end.

"Some no Mai: Tsuki Shiro!" she commanded. A white circle appeared under Saki's feet. A tower of ice rose from the circle, encasing Saki completely. After a few moments, the tower shattered. _She went down that easily?_ Rukia thought with disbelief.

"Interesting," Saki said from behind Rukia, causing the latter to gasp in surprise and spin around. "You didn't think I'd go down that easily, did you?"

"A clone?" Rukia sputtered, "When?"

"Why ask when…" Saki narrowed her eyes, "…if you can't use that technique anymore?"

"Huh?"

"I don't believe I stuttered."

"What do you mean I can't use that technique anymore?"

"Why don't you try using it to find out?"

Rukia frowned, but sensing that it wasn't a trick, raised Sode no Shirayuki again and shouted, "Some no Mai: Tsuki Shiro!"

Nothing happened.

"What the…?"

"Do you get it now?" Saki asked, "I've sealed that technique. You can no longer use it in this fight."

Rukia gritted her teeth. _She can seal techniques? That's not good. I'd better not use Hakuren in case she seals it as well. I need a strategy. I need to create an opening where I can strike her down with one blow. When that opening happens, I'll use Hakuren to render her immobile._

"Are you done coming up with a strategy?" Saki asked. Rukia glared at her black-haired opponent.

"Hey, Saki!" Amina suddenly shouted from the audience.

"What?"

"Use your Shikai!"

"…why?"

"Awww, come on! Give the audience something interesting to see!" Amina whined, "Besides, the fight will end quicker if you use your zanpakuto. It's nearly lunchtime, and I'm hungry!"

Saki stared at Amina for a few seconds before sighing. "You're so noisy." Amina smiled.

Saki turned back to Rukia and reached for her hair, which was tied in a braid. She untied it, revealing that the thing in her hair was a bladeless sword. Everyone stared at it incredulously, all thinking: _That's her zanpakuto?_

"This is the unreleased form of my zanpakuto," Saki informed the spectators. She then placed her hand at the spot where the blade was supposed to be. "Materialize, Jikan to Kuukan*!" Sliding her hand down, a silver blade appeared, changing the zanpakuto's form into a dagger.

Gripping the handle with both hands, Saki lifted her left hand and lowered her right, exposing the fact that her zanpakuto was actually two daggers connected at the tsuba. She then proceeded to take them apart. The one in her left hand had a blue grip and was surrounded by a blue aura. The one in her right had a pink grip and was surrounded by a pink aura.

"Aren't you going to attack?" Saki asked Rukia. When Rukia didn't move, Saki closed her eyes and said, "Very well."

The next thing everybody heard was a loud _clang_ as Saki knocked Sode no Shirayuki out of Rukia's hands. The white sword went spinning through the air and landed in the ground a few yards away. Everyone, except Amina and Hanako, sat there dumbstruck.

_I didn't even see her move!_ Ukitake thought, thoroughly shocked.

_My, my. What a dangerous Shinigami._ Kyouraku pulled the edge of his sakkat over his eyes.

Yamamoto spoke up. "That concludes the matches against the lieutenants. We will take a short break where you may go eat and heal any injuries you might have sustained. Everyone, come back here in one hour."

* * *

*Mind Reader

*Time and Space

* * *

_**For those of you who are disappointed about not getting to read about Saki's zanpakuto's abilities, you'll get to read about Jikan and Kuukan in a few chapters, when Saki fights against a captain.**_

_**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**_


	5. Ten Times Stronger

_**Some readers are asking me if the Vaizards are going to be in this story. The answer is yes, they will be coming in during later chapters, but I haven't decided if they're going to rejoin Soul Society.**_

Chapter 5: Ten Times Stronger

An hour later, everyone had eaten lunch and was returning to the stadium. There was more excitement in the air this time since it was time for the three matches against captains. Everyone was wondering who was going to fight whom, and separate conversations were indiscernible from all the chatter echoing around the stadium.

"Who are you guys fighting against?" Kyouraku asked.

"Captain of the Tenth Division," Amina answered promptly.

"Captain of the Second Division," Saki said, playing with her zanpakuto's handle.

"Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Soifon, huh?" Ukitake smiled, "Good luck."

"Thank you," Saki replied.

"What about you, Hanako-chan?" Kyouraku asked the youngest Kuroichi.

"Umm…well…the captain I'm fighting is…" Hanako fidgeted uncomfortably.

"She's fighting you, Captain Kyouraku," Amina blurted out.

"Ah, I see." Suddenly, his facial expression changed and his eyes widened, "Wait, you're fighting ME?"

"You're evil," Saki told Amina.

Amina grinned wickedly. "Not as evil as you. I'm guessing you're not gonna hold back against Captain Soifon."

"Of course I won't hold back."

"Good. Don't worry; Hanako and I will be on guard," Amina stood up, "I'm gonna go beat up the captain now."

"Yeah. Have fun." Saki leaned back in her chair.

Yamamoto's voice rang around the stadium. "The match between Kuroichi Amina and Hitsugaya Toshiro will begin now."

Amina smiled at the short, white-haired captain. "Hey, midget."

Toshiro became pissed immediately. "Shut up."

Hanako let out a giggle while Saki mentally face-palmed.

Toshiro pulled his zanpakuto out of its sheath. "Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" With his zanpakuto released, the air soon became cold. Clouds gathered in the sky and a few seconds later, snow began to fall.

Amina pulled a face, which angered Toshito even more although he kept silent. She raised her hand in front of her, fingers splayed. "Take control, Yoso!" Unlike her previous battle with Rangiku, Amina's zanpakuto's hilt was red.

"Since the hilt is red, I'm guessing that you're preparing to use the fire element," Toshiro said, holding Hyourinmaru in front of him.

"Yup! Element Two: Fire!" Amina pointed the tip of Yoso at Toshiro. A fireball formed at the tip.

"Hyourinmaru!" Toshiro yelled, not intending to allow Amina to attack. The ice dragon appeared at the tip of Toshiro's zanpakuto, and Toshiro waved his sword. The dragon roared and charged forward.

"Too slow!" Amina called from behind Toshiro, making the young captain jump.

He whirled around. _When did she…?_

Amina didn't give him a chance to complete his thought. "Here it comes!" she yelled, and swung Yoso. Toshiro quickly jumped out of the way, skidding to a halt a few feet away.

Amina grinned at him, the fireball still attached to Yoso's blade tip. "Just kiddin'!" she laughed.

An angry tick mark appeared on Toshiro's head.

"What's Amina-chan doing?" Hanako asked Saki, who looked extremely bored.

"She's trying to lure out his Bankai…" Saki began.

"Bankai: Daiguren Hyourinmaru!" Toshiro shouted.

"…and he fell for it," Saki finished.

Amina stared at Toshiro's Bankai form for a minute longer before squealing, "You're so CUTE! Wow, you even have a tail!"

Toshiro was beyond pissed by now. "You…!" he growled.

"Hey, Saki!" Amina called, completely ignoring Toshiro, "Did you put up the barrier? I think I'm probably gonna have to go Bankai soon!"

"Shut up and focus on your battle," Saki muttered.

"I guess that's a yes then," Amina mumbled to herself. Without a word, she swung her zanpakuto at Toshiro, releasing the fireball. Toshiro dodged to the side so that the fireball flew past him and hit the ground.

Taking advantage of the small opening, Toshiro shouted, "Sennen Hyoro!"

Pillars of ice surrounded Amina and moved in, trapping her in the center. Amina looked around. _An ice prison, huh? I doubt a simple fireball will be able to blast a hole through it completely. Hah. Never thought I'd be forced to use it so soon._ She heaved a sigh and tightened her grip on Yoso.

On the other side of the ice, Toshiro was just beginning to relax a little when he suddenly felt a huge rise in Amina's reiatsu. Then, a faint red glow appeared in the center of the ice prison, followed by a loud rumbling sound. Seconds later, the ice prison was blown apart by a rushing torrent of fiery lava.

The spectators let out yelps of surprise as the wave of lava crashed over them. To almost everyone's surprise, there was a pink barrier that prevented everyone from being burned to a crisp. Saki had raised an arm and was supporting the protective barrier that she created. Any lava that came into contact with the shield promptly dissolved. The crowd gave an audible sigh of relief and turned its attention back to Amina.

Amina's zanpakuto had changed form. The blade of Yoso was engulfed in flames, and although the blade was resting on her shoulder, it was quite obvious that the flames weren't affecting Amina at all. In fact, there was a smirk on her face.

"Your…zanpakuto…" Toshiro whispered.

"I know," Amina said simply, "This is Kyukyoku no Yoso*." Her grin grew wider as she added, "This is my Bankai."

"Hey, Amina!" Saki shouted.

Amina froze and slowly turned around. "Yes?"

Judging by the look in her eyes, Saki was seriously annoyed. "Control your excitement," she snapped, "Do you want to burn a hole in my barrier?"

"Woah, you're actually supporting the barrier with one hand?" Amina sounded astonished, "Have I gotten that strong?"

"No, your emotions are out of control. Get a grip," Saki admonished Amina harshly, "unless you want to be responsible for the burning of Seireitei."

"Okay, okay," Amina sighed, "Although you could just use your strongest barrier."

"And use my Bankai?" Saki retorted, lowering her arm, "I don't think so."

Amina rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "So, midget. What do you think?" she asked Toshiro.

"It's Captain Hitsugaya," Toshiro snarled. Amina laughed.

"I'll call you Captain Hitsugaya after you beat me," she challenged.

Toshiro let out a roar of fury and charged at Amina. The latter quickly switched her element to wind and pointed Kyukyoku no Yoso at the captain. A fierce and powerful gust of wind started up and blew Toshiro into the ground. After that, the wind continued to pressure him, making him unable to get up.

"You know, you shouldn't attack me if you don't know what Kyukyoku no Yoso does," Amina said lightly, "Now, you're in a position where I could easily take your head."

She raised her eyebrow at Toshiro's vulnerability. "The flames that engulfed Kyukyoku no Yoso's blade earlier as well as the air swirling around it now aren't just decoration," she went on, "They're also power enhancements. My attacks in Bankai are ten times stronger than my attacks in Shikai."

Toshiro gritted his teeth. _She's not kidding. The power difference between that fireball in Shikai and that lava attack in Bankai was tremendous. _Suddenly, the air pressure lifted and Toshiro found himself able to move and breathe properly again.

"Kuroichi Amina," Yamamoto said, "Is the power enhancement the only thing that your Bankai gives you?"

"Nope," Amina shook her head, "There's one more ability that I gain when I use Bankai, which is element combination."

"You can combine elements?"

"It is possible to combine all five elements of Yoso, but as of right now, I can only combine two elements at a time."

Yamamoto nodded. "I see. Well, thank you for showing us your abilities. You may take a seat now. Next: Kuroichi Hanako and Kyouraku Shunsui!"

* * *

*Ultimate Elements


	6. Mind Power

Chapter 6: Mind Power

"Well, I guess it's our turn now, Hanako-chan," Kyouraku sighed. Hanako smiled, and the two flash-stepped onto the field.

"Please don't hold back, Kyouraku-taicho," Hanako said, "I can tell that you are someone who can force me into Bankai if you come at me with full power."

"Oh, dear. I'm not sure if I could bring myself to harm a girl like you, Hanako-chan," Kyouraku grinned sheepishly, lifting the edge of his sakkat to peer at his opponent.

"That's very kind of you, Kyouraku-taicho, but I'm afraid you _will _have to go all out," Hanako smiled again, but this time, the smile didn't seem harmless anymore.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" Kyouraku drew the two swords that were strapped to his waist.

Hanako unsheathed her katana as well. "Anticipate, Maindorida." The blade changed into its needle form, and Hanako took a battle-ready stance.

Kyouraku looked slightly surprised. "Shikai form already?"

Hanako held up two fingers, looking completely different from the shy Shinigami that she was outside of battle. "I'll tell you two things about me that may help you in this fight. One, I'm not strong physically. Two, I don't know many offensive moves."

"Are you sure you should have told me that?" Kyouraku raised an eyebrow.

Hanako closed her eyes. "I told those two facts to every single opponent I've had to face in the past. Even with those two bits of information, nobody could get close enough to touch me."

"So you want to fight someone who is intelligent enough to figure out how to defeat you based on those two tidbits," Kyouraku guessed.

"Mm-hmm. The best time to try and defeat me is when I'm using Shikai. Unfortunately for my adversary, my Bankai eliminates almost all of my weaknesses."

"Yikes, that really is unfortunate," Kyouraku agreed. They stood there for a few seconds, neither of them moving.

Hanako broke the silence. "Aren't you going to attack, Kyouraku-taicho?"

"I thought I'd let the lady have the first move."

Hanako tilted her head slightly. "Are you sure?" she asked softly, "You may end up dead."

"If you don't mind me saying, Hanako-chan, I never took you as someone who would kill so easily," Kyouraku murmured after a moment's hesitation.

"I don't," Hanako corrected him, "I was just saying that as a possible scenario."

"In that case, I could say the same for you," Kyouraku pointed out, "You might also end up dead if you don't make the first move."

Hanako blinked. "What are you talking about, Kyouraku-taicho? I've already made a move."

Kyouraku's eyes widened for a split second. Quick as a flash, he turned and parried a jab to his head. "When did you make a clone?" he asked in surprise, watching the two Hanakos with great caution.

"When I was bedazzling you with my word games," both Hanakos said at the same time in the exact same tone of voice.

_My, oh my. I can't even tell the difference between the real one and the clone. This will be very difficult. Hanako was serious when she said that I would have to go all out, but Shikai is as far as I'll go. I don't intend to release my Bankai in front of all these people._

Hanako frowned. "Why don't you want to use your Bankai?" she asked.

Kyouraku gave a little start. "You can read my mind?"

"Some of your thoughts stick out more than others," Hanako explained, "In Shikai form, I can read those thoughts that stick out."

"Huh? That's not fair," Kyouraku complained.

"Battles aren't fair, Kyouraku-taicho," Hanako said, "But if you need consolation, then I can tell you that it is possible for you to prevent me from reading your mind."

"Really? How?"

"Like I'd tell you that," Hanako scoffed as her clone vanished.

"That's cruel, Hanako-chan."

Not bothering to reply, Hanako ran forward, zanpakuto raised to attack Kyouraku. Kyouraku raised both of his swords as well, ready to parry the attack when she suddenly vanished. Kyouraku paused for a millisecond before turning around to block an attack from behind. _That wasn't Shunpo. _he thought. _When someone uses Shunpo, their reiatsu is always present and undisturbed, but this technique completely erases any traces of reiatsu for a second, and the reiatsu remains disturbed for some time after it reappears. What is it?_

"You're right. It's not Shunpo," Hanako agreed, reading some of Kyouraku's thoughts again, "It is a form of teleportation."

"Teleportation, eh? That won't do." Kyouraku pushed Hanako away and took a swipe at her. She teleported again, appearing a few yards away. Kyouraku raised his swords again, making them perpendicular to each other.

"Flower wind rage and flower god roar, heavenly wind rage and heavenly demon sneer," Kyouraku chanted, "Katen Kyokotsu!"

His blades had changed to resembles two scimitars, the one in his right hand slightly shorter than the one in his left.

"Bushōgoma!" he said, swinging Katen Kyokotsu to create a spinning circle of wind that flew towards Hanako. The latter dodged, jumping into the air to avoid the deadly wind.

"Takaoni." Hanako started, turning to see that Kyouraku had flash-stepped behind her with his sword raised, ready to bring it down. Hanako quickly teleported a good distance away, so that Kyouraku ended up slashing empty air.

"You didn't read my thoughts then, did you?" Kyouraku asked lazily.

"I admit I didn't," Hanako replied. Kyouraku peered at her from underneath his sakkat.

"May I ask you a question, sweet, sweet, Hanako-chan?"

Hanako blinked. "What is it?"

"How come you never use your teleportation technique consistently?" Kyouraku questioned, watching Hanako carefully for a reaction.

Hanako's forehead creased slightly. "What do you mean, Kyouraku-taicho?"

"That Bushogoma that I used right after I activated my Shikai. Why didn't you teleport to avoid it like you did with my previous attack? You teleported again to avoid my Takaoni, and I thought it was strange that you didn't teleport away from Bushogoma when you did it for Takaoni and that other attack."

Hanako didn't reply, staring at Kyouraku calculatingly.

"You can't use teleportation consistently, can you? There's a five second time interval after each teleportation when you can't teleport," Kyouraku was pleased to see Hanako look startled, "I'm right, aren't I?"

"…You are," Hanako confessed, "After each teleportation, there is a five-second time interval where my reiatsu settles down before I can teleport again."

Kyouraku grinned.

"Congratulations, Kyouraku-taicho," Hanako continued, "You are the first person to figure out that weakness."

"Why, thank you. That means a lot coming from a pretty girl like you." Even during battle, Kyouraku still found time to flirt.

"Stay away from my sister, you womanizer," Amina grumbled, folding her arms in front of her chest. Ukitake couldn't help but shake his head at his best friend's antics while Saki sat back in her chair, totally uninterested.

Amina grabbed Saki by the shoulders and started shaking her. "Hey, Saki. Don't look so bored! That's your sister Kyouraku is flirting with. Aren't you gonna do something?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't shake me," Saki muttered.

Meanwhile, the duo in the field had taken their battle to the ground.

"Kageoni." Kyouraku plunged one of his blades into Hanako's shadow, forcing the latter to teleport into the sky to dodge it. Then, he used Shunpo to appear behind her, close enough that she wouldn't be able to use Shunpo to evade his next attack.

"Takaoni!" Kyouraku swung his sword downwards. Hanako was unable to dodge it and was sent crashing into the earth.

"You okay, Hanako-chan?" Kyouraku called, cupping a hand to his mouth.

"You're strong, Kyouraku-taicho," Hanako admitted, slowly rising from where she had hit the ground, "In that case…"

She held Maindorida out in front of her so that the zanpakuto was parallel to the ground. She let go of it, allowing it to float there.

"Bankai….Mangekyou Kineshisu*."

* * *

*Kaleidoscope Kinesis


	7. How Many Swords?

Chapter 7: How Many Swords?

"Bankai...Mangekyou Kineshisu."

Hanako's zanpakuto hovered in the air for a few seconds before it swung itself into a vertical position and began to multiply. Unlike clones, all of the swords hovering around were genuine. And _very _dangerous.

"Oh, my," Kyouraku murmured, glancing around nervously at all the sharp points, "How many swords are there?"

Hanako shrugged. "Dunno. I've never counted." As she spoke, ten swords broke away from the main group to hover around their master. "If I had to guess though, I'd say there are at least one hundred."

"Wow. That's impressive," Kyouraku admired. Hanako didn't reply. Instead, she raised her arm and pointed in the direction of where Kyouraku stood in the sky.

"Sword Dance No. 1: Needle Rain!" A group of about twenty-five swords immediately flew towards Kyouraku, their points glinting in the sunlight. Kyouraku flash-stepped out of their way, but the swords merely changed direction and continued to chase him around.

"Hey, now, Hanako-chan! Isn't this a bit unfair?" Kyouraku cried, fleeing desperately from the horde of swords.

"It is? How?"

"Well, you have over a hundred swords while I only have two..."

"But before I used Bankai, you had two swords while I only had one." Hanako slashed the air with her hand. The swords ceased their pursuit, and Kyouraku was finally able to stop running for his life.

"My zanpakuto is a weapon whose power is determined by my mental capabilities," Hanako explained, tapping her head, "My mental strength far exceeds my physical strength, meaning that all of these swords are much more powerful than Maindorida's Shikai form. In fact, it's more powerful than an average Bankai."

"Oh? Does that mean you're the most powerful among your sisters?" Kyouraku asked.

Unexpectedly, Hanako shook her head. "Nope. We all have our strengths and weaknesses."

"I see." Kyouraku took off his pink, flowered kimono and threw it to Ukitake, who caught it with a startled gasp.

Hanako raised her right arm again and put her palm out in the direction of Kyouraku. "Sword Dance No. 2: Dragon's Fury."

All of the swords quickly flew together into a large lump, which shaped itself into the form of a Chinese dragon. It opened its mouth and let out a ear-splitting screech that made everyone clap their hands over their ears. Then, the dragon charged at Kyouraku, jaws wide open and claws held ready.

Kyouraku used Shunpo to dodge past the dragon and appeared next to Hanako. He swung one of his swords, but his blade was stopped by one of Hanako's guard swords. A second guard sword swung itself at Kyouraku's neck. Reacting quickly, the captain raised his other sword to block the attack. He saved his neck but was pushed back approximately fifty yards, right in the path of the dragon.

The beast snapped its jaws shut, apparently trapping Kyouraku in its mouth. Gasps and cries of shock rang around the stadium as the sword dragon dove into the ground, creating a giant dust cloud that was almost impossible to see through.

"Kyouraku!" Ukitake yelled.

"Relax, Captain Ukitake," Saki said calmly, "Your friend is still alive."

"But...!"

"Just chill, Ukitake-san," Amina interrupted, "Hanako almost never kills her opponents on purpose. Killing is just not her thing. Actually, fighting's not her thing either but she doesn't have a choice here."

Ukitake turned his gaze back to the field. The dust was just beginning to settle, and he could barely make out a figure crouched on the ground. A gust of wind blew past, and the dust cleared out to reveal a tattered and bleeding Kyouraku.

"See? He's alive!" Amina nudged Ukitake, "A bit torn up, but he's still breathing and standing!"

Kyouraku took a moment to regain his breath. When he had recovered, he asked, "You held back on purpose there, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Hanako admitted, "If I didn't, then you'd be almost dead."

"Well, it's very kind of you to spare my life, Hanako-chan." Kyouraku wiped some blood out of his eye, "Can I ask you a question?"

"You don't have to ask if you can ask a question, Captain Kyouraku," Hanako pointed out.

"Okay, okay," Kyouraku chuckled, "How did you gain control over such power over a century?"

"It technically wasn't a century," Hanako corrected, "But I gained control of my Bankai with Saki-chan's help."

"And who taught you, Saki-chan?" Kyouraku called to the black-haired girl.

Saki hesitated for a moment before answering, "He never told me his name, but this man had black hair, green eyes, and wore half of a white helmet on his head."

"Black hair and green eyes, huh? That sounds a lot like you, although I'm not sure about the helmet part," Kyouraku mused. "How long did he teach you?"

"Three or four years."

"Why are ya interested?" Amina questioned Kyouraku.

"I want to know who is so talented that they could make three young women into such formidable fighters," Kyouraku explained innocently.

"So you can recruit him for the upcoming war with Aizen Sousuke?" Saki guessed.

Kyouraku laughed sheepishly. "Uh, yeah."

Saki seemed to sigh. "Sorry, but he really did refuse to tell me his name."

"That's a pity," Kyouraku murmured.

The conversation was interrupted by Yamamoto when he hit the ground with his walking stick. "The battle between Kyouraku Shunsui and Kuroichi Hanako is now over. Would the two please return to their seats and allow the final match to commence?"

Hanako and Kyouraku both resealed their zanpakuto and walked back to their seats, where members of the Fourth Division attempted to heal their wounds.

"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd like to heal Captain Kyouraku's wounds myself," Hanako requested, "I'm resposible for them, so I would like to be the one to fix them."

"You can perform healing Kido, too?" Kyouraku asked as Hanako began to heal him.

"Yes," Hanako answered as she healed a cut on his shoulder, "I'm the one who usually performs the healing rituals out of the three of us."

"Why?"

"Amina-chan's terrible at Kido, and Saki-chan's way of healing takes up too much reiatsu," Hanako explained. Amina whacked her sister on the head. "Ow! Wh-What was that for?" Hanako cried, clutching her skull.

"For saying something you shouldn't have said, even if it's true," Amina grumbled, giving Hanako the evil eye as the match between Saki and Soifon began.

* * *

**_Does anyone know the name of the library in Seireitei? I can't remember it, and I can't seem to find it online either. Please help!_**


	8. Suzumebachi vs Jikan & Kuukan

**_Finally, the power of Jikan and Kuukan shall be revealed! XD Sorry for making you wait, guys._**

**_HarunaOno: It's okay. Thanks though :)_**

**_necro (Guest): Yeah, it would be cool if we knew what Kyouraku's Bankai is, and yes, it would most certainly be interesting and ironic._**

* * *

Chapter 8: Suzumebachi vs. Jikan/Kuukan

Amina sighed impatiently. "They've been fighting using hand-to-hand combat for a while now," she grumbled, "I'm bored."

"But Saki-chan used Kido a while ago..." Hanako said.

"That was only one Shakkaho!" Amina shouted, jumping up and down, "I've seen plenty of those, dammit!"

Hanako gave up trying to calm down her older sister and sat quietly in her seat, hugging her knees while watching Soifon and Saki attack each other with Hakudo. Kyouraku offered Amina a cup of sake, which she took and downed in one gulp. Soon, those two were chatting and drinking, the battle in front of them completely forgotten. Ukitake gave Kyouraku a disapproving look but didn't bother doing anything to stop his friend.

Meanwhile, Saki and Soifon finally jumped apart. Soifon was just slightly out of breath while Saki didn't look any different than when the battle first started.

"How can you keep up with me?" Soifon asked Saki, her eyes glaring accusingly at her opponent.

"My teacher taught me Shunpo in the few years we trained together," Saki answered.

"Captain, you can do it!" Lieutenant of the Second Division, Marechiyo Omaeda, yelled from his seat.

"Tch. I don't need your support, Omaeda," Soifon snapped, drawing her zanpakuto.

"Huuuh?! Captain, you're so mean!" Omaeda complained. Soifon spared her lieutenant an annoyed glance and flash-stepped behind Saki. She placed the tip of her zanpakuto at the latter's throat.

"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Soifon commanded. Her zanpakuto immediately transformed into a stinger-like weapon that covered up Soifon's middle finger. Unfortunately for the Stealth Master, Saki looked completely unaffected by the fact that Soifon had released her Shikai.

"You're not going to win," Soifon declared, pulling back her right arm to drive the point of Suzumebachi into Saki. She brought her arm down, and a few seconds later, blood splattered the ground at the feet of both Soifon and Saki. The pair immediately jumped apart, landing on opposite sides of the field to gaze at each other warily.

A Homonka appeared on Saki's right shoulder. She merely cast an indifferent glance at it before returning her stare to Soifon.

Meanwhile, Soifon had been stabbed in the right shoulder. It wasn't a deep wound, and Soifon pressed her hand to it in an attempt to stop the bleeding. _Damn it, _she thought, _I didn't know she had hidden weapons, but at least I managed to get her with Suzumebachi's Nigeki Kessatsu. _"You're done for now," Soifon said confidently.

Saki's only reply was the blue aura that began to glow faintly around her body. Soifon quickly took on a battle stance, ready to retaliate to any movements Saki might make. However, the black-haired girl just stood there, allowing the blue aura to envelope her. Then, to Soifon's horror, the Homonka on Saki's shoulder began to fade until it disappeared completely.

"What did you do?" Soifon was unable to comprehend the banishment of the butterfly-shaped stamp.

"Nothing complicated," Saki replied, "I merely returned my body to the condition it was in yesterday."

"What?" Soifon exclaimed in shock and dismay, her eyes widening.

"You heard me." Saki raised her unreleased zanpakuto and placed her hand next to the tsuba. "Materialize, Jikan to Kuukan." She quickly swiped her hand in a straight line away from the handle and the blade appeared where her hand had been. She proceeded to separate the two daggers, holding Jikan in her left hand and Kuukan in her right.

Soifon gnashed her teeth together, and the two charged at each other, weapons held high. Suzumebachi and Kuukan met with a loud _clang. _They were held in their positions for a while, neither woman willing to back down. Then, Saki pointed the tip of Jikan's blade at Soifon. An orb of blue energy began to charge at the point. Soifon let out a barely audible gasp and jumped into the air, just in time to dodge the beam of energy that shot out from the orb.

"Temporal Blast," Saki explained to a surprised Soifon, "Jikan condenses time energy into a ball and shoots out the energy at the target. Anything struck by the attack will either die instantly, or the time around it is sped up until it kicks the bucket and withers away." The tree that had been struck by Jikan's Temporal Blast slowly lost all of its leaves, and soon, the wood became rotted until the dead plant dissolved into bits of blue particles that vanished into the surrounding space.

"If Jikan has a special move, am I right in assuming that Kuukan has one, too?" Soifon asked.

"You are absolutely right," Saki said, "But I'd rather not use Kuukan's move in a battle."

"Why not?"

Saki positioned Kuukan in front of her. "Because it will be instant death if it hits, and even if it missed, there would be a massive disturbance in the flow of spatial particles. Too many of Kuukan's move, and this dimension could collapse." With that, she leapt into the air, daggers aimed at the small captain.

Soifon used Suzumebachi to block Kuukan, and when Saki jabbed at her with Jikan, she grabbed onto Saki's right forearm and used to swing herself out of the way of Jikan's attack. She then attempted to stab Saki in the back with Suzumebachi, but the latter raised her right foot and halted Soifon's arm in its tracks. However, Soifon merely flexed her wrist and the point of Suzumebachi sank into Saki's leg instead. As quickly as it appeared, the Homonka vanished again as Saki returned her body to its condition yesterday.

Soifon made an impatient noise. Suzumebachi's Nigeki Kessatsu wasn't going to have any effect. Soifon really didn't want to go to any extreme measures, but now, it didn't seem like she had any choice. She took off her captain's haori, revealing the sleeveless uniform of the commander-in-chief of the Onmitsukido. White, pressurized reiatsu began to swirl around her, creating a strong gust of wind. Soifon smirked.

"Shunko."

* * *

Next chapter: Out of Control Bankai


	9. Out of Control Bankai

**_Saki's Bankai will be revealed briefly in this chapter and the next chapter, so you guys have something to look forward to! :)  
Enjoy!_**

Chapter 9: Out of Control Bankai

"Shunko."

Soifon charged at Saki and threw a punch at the black-haired Shinigami. Saki raised her hand to block it but was sent flying backwards upon contact. She quickly regained her footing in time to dodge another punch that Soifon threw at her. Raising her hand, she said clearly, "Hado No. 31: Shakkaho."

A ball of red energy flew at Soifon, who used Shunpo to dodge the Kido spell. The captain of the Second Division then counterattacked by sending her white reiatsu at Saki. The attack shot towards Saki , who barely batted an eyelash. Instead, she raised Jikan and let loose another Temporal Blast, which collided with Soifon's Shunko attack in midair and triggered a massive eruption.

Soifon decided to take advantage of the smoke and fired another Shunko in the direction of where she thought Saki would be. The Shunko burst out of the smoke on the other side. Saki gave an annoyed sigh.

"You've made me do this," she muttered as she raised Kuukan above her head. Kuukan's blade began to glow pink as tiny spatial particles melded with it. Once it was fully charged, Saki slashed the air in front. While she did this, Kuukan released the energy in a curving arc, which shot forward and clashed with the Shunko. A void opened up at the point of collision, and the white reiatsu was sucked into the separate dimension. The void closed as the last of the Shunko's energy vanished.

"You used Kuukan's special move just now, didn't you?" Soifon asked, eyes narrowed.

"Space Cutter," Saki replied, "A move that can open up a gate to another dimension, which sucks in the target and destroys it. Or it can just turn the target into spatial particles on the spot, which Kuukan will then use for its next Space Cutter."

"Che." Soifon furrowed her eyebrows.

"Your Shikai couldn't do anything, and your Shunko isn't very effective, either," Saki pointed out, "Do you have any other tricks up your sleeve? Your Bankai, perhaps?"

Soifon gritted her teeth. "Bankai: Jakuho Raikoben!" she roared. Soifon's right arm became incased by a gold armor missile launcher base that was twice the size of the small captain. She aimed it at Saki and fired. The missile spun through the air at an alarming speed until it finally met its target and exploded.

"Whew, that was one hell of an explosion," Amina huffed, "Soifon's got a good Bankai, if you ask me."

"But Saki-chan is..." Hanako began.

"Alive," Amina finished for her sister, "Look." She pointed at the cloud of smoke that was rising from the place where Jakuho Raikoben had exploded.

With perfect timing, the smoke cleared to reveal Saki covered in golden armor. A pair of dragon-like wings were folded in front of her, seemingly the things responsible for blocking the attack from Soifon's Bankai. Jikan and Kuukan had merged into one sword with a golden hilt and a black grip. A helmet in the shape of a dragon's head shielded Saki's head so that only Saki's face and her messy bangs could be seen. A dragon's tail lashed back and forth behind her, and Saki's hands and feet were covered by armor as well.

The wings pulled back, and Saki raised her single sword and pointed it at Soifon, who was standing a long distance away with a shocked expression on her face. "Bankai," Saki announced quietly, "Han Busshitsu*."

"What...? How...?" Soifon spluttered, reluctant to believe that her Bankai had been useless against the eldest Kuroichi.

"Think about it," Saki said, tilting her sword slightly, "The name of my Bankai is Han Busshitsu. Antimatter."

Soifon's face contorted. "DAMN YOU!" she shrieked, her pride crushed by the fact that none of her techniques seemed to be able to affect the Shinigami in front of her.

"...I'm sorry," Saki apologized.

Soifon ignored her and lunged forward, deactivating her Bankai and preparing Shunko again. Saki looked slightly surprised by the fact that Soifon was attacking recklessly but quickly regained her composure and began to defend against Soifon's messy assaults.

Then, Soifon's Shunko came into contact with a silver bracelet on Saki's right wrist. The piece of jewelry came off with a small _pop._ Saki's breath caught in her chest, and she reached for it desperately with her free hand as it fell out of the sky.

Amina froze, her eyes growing as big as dinner plates. "Oh, crap."

Hanako gasped, her gaze unable to leave the bracelet that had come off of Saki's wrist.

Kyouraku and Ukitake jerked their heads around to look questioningly at the two. "Huh? What's wrong?" Kyouraku asked.

Before either Kuroichi could reply, there was a huge explosion as Saki's reiatsu skyrocketed. A blinding, golden light engulfed the Shinigami and the pressure of her reiatsu sent almost all of the spectating Shinigami flying.

"Shit!" Amina shouted, covering her face with her arms, "It's going out of control!"

Hanako was blown off her feet. She let out a small cry of surprise, hands reaching desperately for something to hold onto. Kyouraku caught her as she flew past. His sakkat had already been lost, and his kimono flapped wildly on his shoulders. Ukitake had thrown himself flat on the ground, eyes narrowed against the pulsing reiatsu that Saki's Bankai emitted.

Suddenly, Ukitake's eyes widened. _This reiatsu...it's the same as before! _he realized, _Back when Kyouraku and I were watching the three and Unohana, there was that explosion of un-Shinigami-like reiatsu. This is exactly like that time. So that reiatsu belonged to Saki, but why is there a Hollow-like feeling to it?_

* * *

*Antimatter

Next chapter: New Gotei Captains


	10. New Gotei Captains

Chapter 10: New Gotei Captains

Saki barely managed to catch the bracelet between her fingers. Using just her left hand, since her right was holding onto the sword, she popped it back onto her wrist. Her reiatsu quickly calmed down, revealing that there was a giant crater in the field and over half of the stands were destroyed.

The bracelet Saki wore was a reiatsu suppressor. When she was still a small girl, a huge portion of her spiritual pressure had remained dormant. Upon reaching Shikai, all of the sleeping reiatsu had woken at once. Saki had been quite young when she acquired Shikai, so her mystery sensei had given her the reiatsu suppressor and told her that she should not take it off until she could master her overwhelming spiritual pressure.

Only when the last of the winds died did anyone dare to straighten themselves up. Only Yamamoto Genryuusai seemed unaffected by Saki's sudden outburst. In fact, he actually looked pleased.

Soifon had been blown into a wall by the force of Saki's reiatsu. She now lay unconscious as members of the Fourth Squad attempted to tend to her wounds.

Meanwhile, Saki deactivated her Bankai. The golden dragon armor receded into the sword. Then, the blade of the sword vanished, leaving just the handle and tsuba. The black-haired girl then landed on the ground and walked over to where the captain of the Second Division was being treated. A blue barrier appeared around Soifon, and the Fourth Divison watched in awe as Saki restored Soifon's body to the condition it was in before the battle. Once the petite captain was fully healed, the barrier vanished.

"My apologies," Saki said quietly, "I cannot restore spiritual pressure."

"That's okay," Kotetsu Isane said hesitantly, "We can do it."

Saki bowed her head slightly. "Thank you." As she said those two words, the rubble that was once part of the stadium began to dissolve into pink spatial particles. The particles floated through the air, reattaching themselves to the parts of the place that had not been destroyed. Within seconds, the banged-up field was completely fixed, looking as good as new.

"Wow, Saki," Amina suddenly popped up behind her sister so that the two stood back-to-back, "That reiatsu of yours nearly killed the world back there."

"Don't be a fool," Saki objected tiredly, "I'm not old enough to kill the world yet."

"Because a century is _totally _young," Amina said sarcastically, her shoulders shaking as she laughed.

Saki scoffed lightly, a small grin appearing on her face.

Ukitake stood from a distance, watching the two Kuroichi sisters. "Did you feel that, Kyouraku?" he asked softly.

Kyouraku remained silent for a moment before answering, "Yeah."

No more words needed to be shared between the two best friends, so they left the conversation at that.

Yamamoto spoke to Unohana, "What do you think?"

Unohana shifted her eyes to look at the Head Captain. "A few captains may not like them, seeing as they weren't trained in the Shin'o Academy, but I say they pass."

"They may not be liked, but it is not a requirement to be liked in order to become a captain," Yamamoto raised his voice, "Come here, you three!"

Saki, Amina, and Hanako approached the Head Captain, who held out three white haoris.

"Welcome to the Gotei 13," he announced loud enough for everyone to hear. A loud cheer rose up from a few of the lieutenants, specifically Rangiku and Yachiru, and most of the officers that were Third Seat or lower. The captains were too refined to scream their lungs out, although Kyouraku and Ukitake were smiling and clapping.

"Kuroichi Saki, you are officially the new captain for the Third Division," Yamamoto declared, handing said Shinigami the haori that had the kanji for three on the back. Saki took it from him with a light bow and put it on. "Your lieutenant is Kira Izuru."

Kira approached Saki and bowed deeply. "I'm honored to work with you, Kuroichi-taicho," he said somewhat apprehensively, "I promise to support you all the way up to my final day as lieutenant of the Third Squad."

"Thank you, Kira," Saki replied softly. The two stood off to the side as Yamamoto turned to Amina.

"Kuroichi Amina, you are officially the new captain for the Ninth Squad." Yamamoto gave Amina the haori that had the kanji for nine on the back, which Amina received and put on immediately. "Your lieutenant is Hisagi Shuuhei."

Said lieutenant walked briskly up to Amina and stood up straight. "It is an honor to work as your subordinate, Kuroichi-taicho!" he said strongly, "I will support you no matter what."

"We'll support each other, Hisagi!" Amina punched her lieutenant playfully on the arm. Then, she hesitated, "Do you mind if I call you Hisagi instead of Hisagi-fukutaicho?"

"Not at all, taicho."

"And finally," Yamamoto interrupted, "Kuroichi Hanako is officially the new captain for the Fifth Division." Hanako received her haori with the kanji for five on the back.

"Who is my lieutenant, Head Captain-san?" Hanako asked politely after she put it on.

"Hinamori Momo is currently in the Healing Bay," Yamamoto answered.

"Huh? Why?"

"Aizen Sousuke came very close to taking her life. She needs to stay there to recover from her wound. However, you may visit her if you wish."

"That would be very appreciated, thank you."

"In that case, Captain Unohana will take you to Lieutenant Hinamori." Yamamoto gestured to the Fourth Division's captain.

Unohana stood up, smiling. "Please follow me," she requested.

"Y-Yes." Hanako hurried after the woman, both of their haoris flapping around their ankles.

"In the meantime," Yamamoto turned to the remaining two Kuroichis, "you two should go meet your squads and figure things out with them."

"Understood," Saki and Amina said together before turning around and leaving the stadium with their lieutenants following closely behind.

* * *

_Next chapter: 3, 5, and 9_


	11. 3, 5, and 9

**_I intend to include some of the anime filler arcs, such as the Zanpakuto Unknown Tales arc, in this story. I'm willing to take other arc suggestions, with the exception of the Shusuke Amagai arc, so please review/PM me with any particular arc you would like to have included._**

* * *

Chapter 11: 3, 5, and 9

"Are all of the seated positions filled in the Third Squad?" Saki asked Kira as the two walked towards their division's barracks.

"No," Kira replied, "We are missing someone for Third Seat."

"I see," Saki murmured, "In that case, I'd like you to find someone suitable for that position as quickly as possible."

"Shouldn't you do it, taicho?" Kira asked uncertainly.

"I would," Saki agreed, "But I don't know the abilities of all of the Shinigami in the Third Squad. On the other hand, you do, so it would be much quicker if you choose the Third Seat. After all, you are the vice-captain of the Third Division, so I'm sure it's not a big problem."

"Okay. Understood, taicho."

Saki and Kira finally arrived at the barracks for the Third Division. There were already some Shinigami gathered at the entrance, whispering excitedly among themselves. When they saw their captain and lieutenant, they quickly bowed at the waist, saying, "Kuroichi-taicho! Kira-fukutaicho!"

Kira stepped forward, about to say something, but Saki waved him back, signaling that she wanted to talk to them herself. Kira obeyed, standing to the side silently as Saki addressed the Shinigami.

"Are the other squad members inside?"

"Yes, Captain!" One of the Shinigami answered, "We are only the seated officers. The rest of the squad is inside, waiting for you."

"Okay. Lead the way," Saki ordered.

"Hai, taicho!"

Saki and Kira followed the other seated officers through a long corridor, until they stopped in front of a door with 'Squad Meeting Room' written on it. Someon epushed the door open, shouting, "All right! Quiet down! Our new captain is here."

The room fell silent as everyone turned to look at their new captain. Saki stepped through the doorway, green eyes observing her subordinates, before saying loudly, "I am Kuroichi Saki, Third Squad's new captain, and we'll find out later whether or not it's a pleasure to meet you all."

Some of the Third Squad members were stunned by Saki's bluntness.

"I don't know how your previous captain ran this squad, but there are some things I expect from all of you," Saki continued as though she hadn't just made a cold comment, "First, if you see anything suspicious going on in Soul Society, I expect to know about it immediately, no matter how tiny your suspicions are. Second, always do what's best for Soul Society, not just for the Third Division. And lastly, never abandon your comrades, no matter how much you hate them." She cast a serious look at the Shinigami that were listening attentively to her every word. "If you fail to meet these expectations, you will be facing me. If you fail to meet the expectations _and _put Soul Society in danger because of it, then I shall arrange a trip to Kurotsuchi Mayuri's lab and see if it's possible to program something useful into a Shinigami. Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, Captain Kuroichi!" Everyone shouted shakily. The deadly glare left Saki's eyes.

"Good," she said a little more nicely, "Other than that, I won't interfere with your daily lives too much, but never hesitate to speak to me or Kira if you need to."

"Understood, Captain Kuroichi!"

* * *

"This is the barracks for the Ninth Division?" Amina asked, peering at the building that stood before her.

"Hai, taicho," Hisagi answered.

"That's so cool!" Amina admired, "I like it!"

"R-Really?" Hisagi was taken aback by his new captain's sudden declaration.

"Of course. Why would I lie about it?" Amina asked innocently, "Anyway, let's go in so I can meet the rest of the squad."

"Ah, wait for me, taicho!" Hisagi called as Amina skipped up to the front door. As they dashed up to the barracks, a Shinigami that was just inside the front door saw them. His eyes widened and he turned and ran inside.

"The captain's here!" he shouted, "Captain Kuroichi's here!"

Pretty soon, the majority of the Ninth Division was outside crowding around Amina and Hisagi. There was the buzz of chatter as all of the Shinigami tried to speak to Amina at once.

"Wow, this squad sure is lively," Amina laughed, "Anyway, most of you seem to know this already, but I'm Kuroichi Amina, the new captain for the Ninth Division. Nice to meet you all!"

"Nice to meet you!" The Ninth Squad echoed, bowing to their new captain.

"Let's all do our best for Soul Society!"

"Yes, taicho!"

* * *

"This is Lieutenant Hinamori's room," Unohana stopped in next to a door in the Healing Bay.

"Oh, thank you very much, Captain Unohana," Hanako thanked. She reached for the door handle but was stopped by Unohana.

"Captain Kuroichi, I must warn you now that Aizen is a very sensitive subject to Lieutenant Hinamori," she explained, "Please do not be offended if she still sees Aizen as the captain of the Fifth Division, and do try to watch what you say to her. Aizen damaged Lieutenant Hinamori both physically and psychologically."

"Of course, Unohana-taicho," Hanako agreed, "I will do my best."

Unohana smiled and stood aside to allow Hanako to enter the room. The blonde-haired captain did so, and her eyes immediately fell on the figure that was lying on the bed. Hanako approached quietly, not wanting to wake the injured lieutenant if she was asleep. Luckily, Hinamori was wide awake, watching Hanako with wide brown eyes.

"Hello..."

Hanako smiled. "Hello, Lieutenant Hinamori. How are you feeling?"

"O-Okay, I guess," Hinamori's voice was still weak and her voice cracked slightly, "Are you Captain Aizen's replacement?"

Hanako hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes."

"I see," Hinamori smiled weakly, "Nice to meet you."

"Same to you," Hanako replied, "May I call you Hinamori?"

"Of course, taicho."

"Well, Hinamori, would you like to tell me what Squad 5 is like?" Hanako inquired softly.

"Um, members of Squad 5 are always friendly with each other and very talented, too, thanks to Captain Aizen..." Hinamori's voice faltered and her eyes became moist. Hanako gently wrapped the grief-stricken lieutenant in a hug, allowing Hinamori to cry into the captain's haori. The youngest Kuroichi patted her lieutenant on the back, waiting patiently for Hinamori's tears to run dry.

"M-My apologies, C-Captain," Hinamori sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"That's all right," Hanako soothed, "I understand that it must be hard for you to see someone you trusted and worshipped leave. Don't sweat it, okay? If you want to cry, then cry."

"H-Hai," Hinamori said, "Thank you, Captain Kuroichi."

"Let's work together, 'kay?" Hanako suggested, holding out her hand.

Hinamori stared at Hanako's hand for a second before her face split into a happy grin. "Okay!" she agreed, reaching out to grasp her new captain's hand.

* * *

**_Kuroichi Amina's Battle Data  
Offense: 100  
Defense: 90  
Intelligence: 60  
Kido/Reiatsu: 60  
Physical Strength: 90  
Mobility: 100  
Total: 500/600_**


	12. Kurosaki Ichigo

**_Well, I've decided which arcs to use for this story. Just have a few more things to put in place ;)_**

**_Also, one quick question: Should Ulquiorra die in this story, or would you guys prefer to have him live? Please review or PM me your answer._**

* * *

Chapter 12: Kurosaki Ichigo

The next morning, Saki sat at her table, quietly doing the paperwork as time ticked away. The rest of the barracks were pretty quiet, with the exception of the occasional sound of footsteps walking past her door. Hanako was currently projecting images of what she and Amina were doing (yes, Hanako is capable of doing that), which were somewhat similar to what Saki was currently doing. Amina was shuffling through her paperwork while chatting with Hisagi, and Hanako was exploring every corner of her office.

The Third Squad's new captain glanced at the clock, which said 10:28. She looked at the pile of paperwork that was still on her desk, contemplating. Then, she pushed herself away from the desk. She draped her captain's haori over her shoulders without putting her arms through the sleeves and left, shutting the door behind her.

On her way out of the barracks, many of her squad members bowed and greeted her, to which she replied with a small wave of her hand and a 'good morning.' Once outside, Saki used Shunpo to arrive at the barracks of the Fifth Squad. The members there also bowed to her in greeting, which she responded to with a nod. She walked briskly to the captain's office and leaned against the doorway. Her little sister, Hanako, was poking around in the drawers of her desk, not noticing her visitor.

"Hanako."

The blonde jumped and spun around. "Saki-chan!" she gasped, "You scared me."

"Sorry. I thought you knew I was there."

"Y-Yeah. I should have stayed alert," Hanako laughed sheepishly, "Do you want some sushi? It's your favorite food, isn't it?" She held out a small box of the delicious cuisine to the black-haired girl. Saki raised an eyebrow.

"Where did you get this?" she asked as she took the food from her sister.

"A member of my squad dropped off two boxes this morning," Hanako explained, "I thought that I should save one box for you since you've always loved sushi."

"I see. Thank you." Saki placed a sushi into her mouth, chewing carefully and allowing the flavors of the rice, seaweed, crab meat, and cucumber to spread across her tongue.

"This is not fair! Why wasn't I invited to this family gathering?" Amina suddenly appeared with an elegant _swish _of her captain's haori.

"You shouldn't need an invitation to come to a 'family gathering'," Saki pointed out, half-finished with her sushi.

The middle child of the Kuroichi family chuckled. "Okay, you got me there. But anyway, I wanted to ask if you two wanted to explore Seireitei today."

Hanako shook her head regretfully. "Sorry, Amina-chan, but I have to get a start on the paperwork since Hinamori's still in the Healing Bay."

Amina turned her hopeful gaze to Saki, who sighed and said, "I will go with you only because you will start complaining if I don't."

"Yay!" Amina cheered, "We can go to the bars and have a few drinks and...!"

"Forget it," Saki said quickly. She did NOT need to deal with a drunk Amina at any time in the future. The brown-haired girl tended to get very...destructive when wasted. It was a good thing that she hadn't gotten intoxicated during the captain's initiation, considering the fact that she was sitting next to Kyouraku.

"No! I was just kidding!"

* * *

"We haven't gone this way yet!" Amina said, pointing to a path that she and Saki hadn't walked yet.

Without a word, Saki began to head in that direction with Amina on her heels. After some time of walking, the pair arrived at a huge set of doors. There were two guards, one on each side of the door. They stood at attention as the two captains approached.

"Is this the Senkaimon?" Saki asked one of them.

"Yes, Captain Kuroichi," the guard replied.

"These doors are impressive!" Amina admired, stepping back to get a better look. In doing so, she bumped into someone. "Wha...?" she jumped and turned around, eyes wide with surprise. "Kyouraku-taicho! Ukitake-taicho!"

"Just Kyouraku and Ukitake are fine, Amina-chan," Kyouraku reassured, "Or even better: Shunsui and Jushiro."

"Hey, Saki-san," Ukitake called, "How're things going with you?"

"Same as always," Saki replied, "And you, Ukitake-san?"

"He's better than usual, at least," Kyouraku answered for his best friend, "What are you two doing here?"

"Exploring," Amina replied with a shrug, "Is this the only Senkaimon in Seireitei?"

"No," Ukitake said, "There are some noble families who have their own private Senkaimon, although this one is used by all of the Shinigami in Seireitei."

The conversation halted as a new set of voices made themselves heard. Four heads turned to see a group of three guys, two girls, and a cat make their way towards the Senkaimon. One of the guys, a tall teenager with orange hair, seemed to be arguing with a much shorter girl, Kuchiki Rukia.

Amina nudged Saki. "Do you think the guy with the orange hair is the one that Hanako saw in her vision?" she whispered.

"Most likely," Saki agreed. The topic of their short conversation stopped arguing with Rukia once he caught sight of the two female captains.

"You two are new captains for the Third and Ninth Divisions, right?" he asked.

"That's right," Saki answered, hands tucked indifferently into the pockets of her Shinigami clothes.

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo. Nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand, which Saki took after a brief moment's hesitation.

"Kuroichi Saki. The pleasure is all mine," she replied coolly, sticking her hand back into her pocket. Amina gave Ichigo a hard stare, making the latter slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" he asked a little belligerently.

"You look nothing like a strawberry," Amina commented in response. Ichigo immediately turned an angry red color. "Now that's more like it," Amina laughed, "Just dye your hair green and it'll be perfect!"

"Shut up!" he yelled, "My name means 'the one who protects', not 'strawberry'!"

"The fifteen-year-old strawberry of protection," Saki put in quietly and with a completely straight face. Amina, Rukia, and Kyouraku howled with laughter while Ukitake chuckled softly. Even Ichigo's friends had looks of amusement on their faces.

"I hate you all," Ichigo grumbled. Once everyone had calmed down, the rest of Ichigo's group introduced themselves, telling Saki and Amina that they were getting ready to head back to the World of the Living. More captains began to arrive as the doors of the Senkaimon opened, and Ukitake quickly handed something to Ichigo before the ryoka boy entered the Dangai.

"He's the one that pretty much saved Soul Society from ruin, isn't he?" Amina asked Saki, only to find out that the black-haired girl was no longer present. She looked around, searching for the elder, but didn't see any sign of Saki anywhere nearby. She scowled.

"Did she seriously _abandon _me?"

* * *

**_Kuroichi Hanako's Battle Data  
Offense: 80  
Defense: 100  
Intelligence: 80  
Kido/Reiatsu: 90  
Physical Strength: 50  
Mobility: 90  
Total: 490/600_**


	13. The Challenge for Captaincy

**_Also, one quick question: Should Ulquiorra die in this story, or would you guys prefer to have him live? Please review or PM me your answer. If you have done so already, thank you for your opinion! :)_**

**_So far, the results are:  
Live - 1  
Die - 1_**

* * *

Chapter 13: The Challenge for Captaincy

Amina stalked through the streets of Seireitei, searching for Saki. _When I find her, I'm gonna chew her out. I don't care how annoyed she gets or if she fast forwards my person clock and turns me into an old lady. How dare she just abandon me like that! _Amina thought angrily. She thought she heard her zanpakuto spirit snicker in the back of her mind, but chose to ignore it for more pressing matters: finding Saki.

Kyouraku and Ukitake followed Amina: Kyouraku was amused by the girl's anger, and wanted to see how this plays out. Ukitake was merely dragged along by his friend, although he did want to see Saki as well. The white-haired captain could tell that the Third Division's captain was lonely, and he wanted to be her friend. But first, he had to find a chance to talk to her. Ukitake hoped that he would be able to break those barriers that Saki placed around herself and get her to open up a bit more.

The group of three was just walking past the Fourth Division when Hanako came out. Her face brightened as she saw them and she came running in their direction, calling, "Amina-chan! Kyouraku-san! Ukitake-san!"

"Hey, Hanako," Amina waved, "What were you doing at the Fourth?"

"I was visiting Hinamori," Hanako explained, falling into step with her sister.

"How is she doing?" Ukitake asked.

"Physically, she's healing quickly," Hanako hesitated, "But she still thinks that Aizen is a good guy and that there's someone manipulating him."

"Oh, boy," Kyouraku muttered.

"Anyway, why are you guys at the Fourth Division?" Hanako changed the subject.

"We're actually just passing by," Amina explained, "Have you seen Saki?"

"I haven't seen her, but I can tell that she's somewhere in that direction!" Hanako pointed back the way Amina came. Amina grumbled lightly under her breath.

"Alright then, I'll just..." she began but was interrupted by a voice.

"Captain Kuroichi!" Hisagi skidded around the corner, looking very worried. He ran up to Amina and fell to one knee, keeping his head bowed.

"Hisagi? What's going on?" Amina asked, looking confused and worried.

"Captain, there is a group of Shinigami from the Eleventh Division in front of the Ninth Division's barracks. They are demanding to speak with you and refuse to leave until their request is fulfilled," Hisagi said very quickly.

Amina stared at her lieutenant for a moment longer before sighing, "Alright. Let's go." She turned to the other three captains. "Sorry, but I have to take care of this issue."

"That's perfectly fine, Amina-chan," Kyouraku grinned, "We'll keep an eye out for Saki while you settle things with the Eleventh Division. Be careful though; they live for fighting."

"Got it," Amina turned back to Hisagi, "Let's go."

"Yes." The two vanished using Shunpo.

A few seconds after the pair left, Hanako gave a small start. "Oh? There seems to be some kind of disturbance at my division's barracks..."

"You too?" Ukitake inquired.

"Y-Yeah. Sorry, but I should go check it out. It may be serious." With that, Hanako vanished as well, undoubtedly heading for the barracks of the Fifth Squad.

The moment she left, the remaining two captains felt a spike of reiatsu in the direction of the Third Squad's barracks. Kyouraku and Ukitake cast a glance at each other before making up their minds and heading for the Third's.

* * *

"Hey! What's going on here?" Amina shouted as she approached the front door of the Ninth with Hisagi on her heels. There were two groups of Shinigami facing each other. One group was obviously from Amina's squad while the other must be comprised of Eleventh Squad Shinigami. Both groups fell silent as Amina approached, heads turning to stare at the captain of the Ninth Division.

The Shinigami from the Ninth immediately bowed. "Captain Kuroichi, these Shinigami from the Eleventh Division insist on seeing you, and they refused to leave when we told them that you were absent."

"I see." Amina turned to the members of the Eleventh Squad. The first thing she immediately noticed was that many of them were glaring at her with hate and hostility in their eyes. She dismissed it for now, focusing instead on the matter at hand. "What do you want?"

"You don't deserve to be a captain of the Gotei 13!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah, you haven't even been to Seireitei before now. How do we know that you and your sisters won't end up as a traitor like Aizen, Ichimaru, and Tosen?"

"How dare you!" A member from the Ninth Squad retorted, "Head Captain Yamamoto chose the Kuroichis himself! You are going against his judgement!"

"Shut up, weakling!" A Shinigami with a mohawk sneered, "Or is your captain also so weak that she needs her squad to defend her?"

"Why, you...!"

"Enough!" Amina shouted, stamping her heel on the ground. The earth trembled slightly at her anger, forcing both sides to back off. Once the ground stopped shaking, she continued to speak in a calmer voice, "I was in Seireitei one hundred years ago, even if it was for only one day. As for the insult you just threw at my subordinate, I will not tolerate such disrespect. Please leave."

"We're not done yet, _Captain _Kuroichi," the mohawk guy sneered, purposefully emphasizing the word 'captain', "We want to challenge you and your sisters to a battle. If you win, we won't bother you again. If you lose, you have to give up being a captain."

Amina raised an eyebrow as the guy went on, "It will be tomorrow morning at 10:30. Eleventh Squad's outdoor training grounds. We'll be waiting." The Eleventh Squad didn't even bother to wait for a reply before leaving.

_Well, that was annoying, _Amina muttered to herself. She didn't think that Hanako had connected their thoughts, so she nearly let out a yelp when the blonde's voice sounded in her mind.

_Eleventh Squad challenged you, too, Amina-chan?_

_Holy Soul King, Hanako. Don't scare me like that. But yes, they challenged me as well._

_Saki-chan and I also received a challenge. I heard that she had to actually stop a fight that had broken out at her barracks. Aside from that, are you going to take on the challenge?_

_Definitely. Nobody insults the Ninth Squad and gets away with it._

_That's what Saki-chan said._

_What are you gonna do?_

_...I'm gonna fight, too._

_Really?_

_I can't have you and Saki-chan defend me for the rest of my life. I-I have to start standing up for myself._

Amina couldn't help but grin_. That's great, Hanako. I guess I'll be seeing you and Saki tomorrow._

_Yeah._

* * *

**_Kuroichi Saki's Battle Data  
Offense: 90  
Defense: 90  
Intelligence: 100  
Kido/Reiatsu: 100  
Physical Strength: 60  
Mobility: 100  
Total: 540/600_**

_Next chapter: Karakura Town_


	14. Karakura Town

**_Also, one quick question: Should Ulquiorra die in this story, or would you guys prefer to have him live? Please review or PM me your answer. If you have done so already, thank you for your opinion! :)_**

**_So far, the results are:  
Live - 3  
Die - 2_**

* * *

Chapter 14: Karakura Town

The next morning, Saki, Amina, and Hanako arrived at the Eleventh Squad's barracks and were greeted by the Shinigami with the mohawk. He gave them a critical glare before beckoning them. "This way."

"Where's your captain?" Amina asked as they followed the guy to the outdoor training field.

"Captain Zaraki and Lieutenant Kusajishi are out buying candy," he answered shortly.

Amina burst out laughing while Hanako covered her mouth. Saki looked slightly amused seeing that her green eyes weren't as cold and hard as before. The mohawk guy looked really ticked off, but didn't say anything.

When they finally arrived outside, the three captains saw that a large group of aggressive (and ugly)-looking Shinigami waiting for them. The only 11th Division members that weren't there were the 3rd Seat and 5th Seat, Madarame Ikkaku and Ayasegawa Yumichika. They believed that the others were being stupid, seeing as the three Kuroichis managed to at least hold their own against captains without too much trouble.

Sure enough, it only took Saki, Amina, and Hanako about twenty seconds to disarm the other side. The captains probably would've stayed longer if it wasn't for the Hell Butterflies that approached them, informing them of a mandatory captains' meeting in ten minutes.

* * *

Yamamoto thumped his cane on the ground once all the captains were in their positions. "The captians' meeting will now commence," he declared and began to drone on and on about Aizen and the threat of Arrancar. A few of the captains (Kyouraku, Zaraki, Kurotsuchi) started spacing out within ten seconds. Saki's eyes were closed, making it seem as though she wasn't listening. Actually, she was one of the captains who were paying the closest attention to Yamamoto's words. Soifon was too busy glaring at Saki to pay much attention to the Head Captain. After a while, Yamamoto realized that practically no one was listening to him and cleared his throat loudly. His suspicions were confirmed when half of the room's occupants jumped and turned to stare at him.

Yamamoto was furious, but he decided not to say anything. "I will be sending a captain over to the World of the Living to speak with Urahara Kisuke on the Arrancar threat."

All eyes (except for Saki and Byakuya) were on Yamamoto now since all the captains were curious as to which captain was going to be sent.

Yamamoto turned to his choice captain. "Kuroichi Saki."

The Third Squad's captain opened for her eyes by a fraction. "Yes, sir."

The Head Captain nodded in approval. "You will leave immediately. Inform Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruchi on everything we've learned and see what information you can gather in return."

"Understood," Saki replied and vanished from her spot.

"Everyone else is to search for clues as to Aizen's plans," Yamamoto ordered, "Dismissed."

The other eleven captains quickly left the room, leaving Yamamoto alone to decide on the captains' punishment for daydreaming in the middle of the meeting. He pondered his choices for a while before settling with handing out extra paperwork. After all, he knew exactly which captains hadn't been paying attention...

* * *

When Saki stepped out of the Senkaimon and into the World of the Living, she was immediately greeted by two people. One of them was a man with pale blonde hair and gray eyes. He wore a brown coat over his green shirt and pants, wooden sandals on his feet, and a green-and-white-striped bucket hat on his head. He carried a cane in his right hand and a fan in the other, which he fanned himself with, grinning at the black-haired captain.

The second person was a woman with dark skin and golden eyes. Her long, purple hair was pulled up into a ponytail. She wore an orange over-shirt on top of a black undershirt and black pants. A large, beige sash was tied around her waist and she wore a pair of lightweight brown shoes on her feet.

"Hey, there!" the man waved, "You must be Kuroichi Saki-san!"

"Just Saki is fine," the captain said as she stood in front of them, "Are you Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi?"

"Yup, yup!" Urahara confirmed, "I see the Head Captain already informed you about us. Please come this way. We will talk at my shop."

"You own a shop?" Saki asked with mild interest as the three of them began to walk in the direction that Urahara indicated.

"Oh, yes," Urahara said in his happy-go-lucky tone of voice, "It's called Urahara's Shop. Creative, isn't it?"

"...Sure..."

Yoruichi turned to the black-haired captain. "He sells all kinds of candy and sweets as well as things for Shinigami, like Gigais and Soul Candy."

"I'm assuming that I will need a Gigai since I am staying in the World of the Living for a few days."

"That's right~!" Urahara sang, "I've already prepared one for you, and it's of the highest quality!"

The trio arrived at the small, dingy Urahara's Shop. Upon entering, Saki was introduced to Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta. Then, she was led to a small room at the back of the shop, where Tessai served the adults tea, leaving Ururu and Jinta to tend to the store.

"Here's your Gigai, Saki," Urahara announced, pulling said object towards the black-haired captain. The Gigai-Saki was lying on her back with her eyes closed. She was dressed in a red shirt and jeans, with a pair of high-heeled shoes on her feet. Her hair was tied back in a braid, just like the real Saki, except the braid was held in place by a hair-tie and not decorated with Jikan to Kuukan's handle.

"Give it a try," Urahara encouraged, "Let me know if you would like any changes made."

Saki obliged, entering her Gigai somewhat cautiously. Once she was inside, she sat up, testing out her Gigai's joints and flexing her fingers. "It's fine," she concluded, "Thank you, Urahara-san."

"No problem, no problem!" Urahara waved his fan in front of his face, "Now, here's your Soul Candy." He handed Saki the little Soul Candy container that had the head of a cobra on top. "This is the Soul Candy called Diana," he explained, "Just push down on top of its head and the pill will pop out. Swallow the pill and you should be able to leave the Gigai, and the Mod Soul in the pill will take control of it."

Saki pressed the cobra's head, making its mouth open. The round pill popped out and landed in Saki's mouth, which she swallowed. She was immediately pushed out of the Gigai, back to wearing her Shihakusho and captain's haori.

"Oh, goody! It works perfectly," Urahara noted lightly, grinning from behind his fan, "And if you need to get back in, just go in and the Soul Candy will be pushed out."

Saki was about to try going back in when the sudden appearance of two high-leveled reiatsu made everyone stop in their tracks.

* * *

_Next chapter: Ulquiorra and Yammy_


	15. Ulquiorra and Yammy

**_One quick question: Should Ulquiorra die in this story, or would you guys prefer to have him live? Please review or PM me your answer. If you have done so already, thank you for your opinion! :)_**

**_So far, the results are:  
Live - 5  
Die - 2_**

* * *

Chapter 15: Ulquiorra and Yammy

"Excuse me, sir!" A messanger ran into Yamamoto's office, "I have an urgent message from the 12th Division. They detected Arrancar activity in the East Part of the Karakuchi District! There are two of them. Judging by the power and stability of their spiritual pressure, it is safe to assume that these two are "completed" Arrancar."

Yamamoto opened his eyes. "Tell them to continue surveillance, and gather a group of Shinigami to standby. Kuroichi Saki, Kurosaki Ichigo, Urahara Kisuke, and Shihouin Yoruichi are in Karakura Town. Hopefully, they will take care of the matter quickly."

* * *

Saki, Urahara, and Yoruichi headed over to where the two powerful reiatsus had appeared. They could already sense the reiatsu of Kurosaki Ichigo there, meaning that he must be engaging the two strangers in battle. Judging by the way Ichigo's reiatsu was fluctuating weirdly, he was most likely losing.

"I'm going on ahead!" Yoruichi shouted before putting on a burst of Shunpo and vanishing from sight.

"Urahara-san."

"Hmm?" Urahara turned to Saki, who kept her eyes staring straight ahead.

"Those two foreign reiatsus...are they Arrancars?" she asked quietly.

"BINGO!" Urahara shouted, waving his hands excitedly in the air. Saki merely cast him a strange glance, not saying anything, which made the blonde-haired man curious.

"Is something bothering you, Kuroichi-san?" he asked.

"Nothing at all," Saki answered calmly, though she did not meet Urahara's eyes. He stared at the black-haired woman for a few seconds longer before shrugging and pushing the matter to the back of his mind.

When the two of them finally arrived at their destination, they saw Kurosaki Ichigo, in his Bankai form, lying helplessly on the ground as a huge Arrancar stood above him. The Arrancar had tan skin, a powerful build, and a ridge-lined cranium. His eyes were brown and his black hair was tied in a thin ponytail. He had long, bushy sideburns, orange eyebrows, and red markings under his eyes. He was covered in blood and his right arm was missing.

"It's over, little shit!" the Arrancar yelled, raising his fist, "I'm gonna crush you into a bloody pulp!"

Just as he brought his arm down, Saki, Urahara, and Yoruichi jumped in front of Ichigo. Urahara released his zanpakuto, which created a crimson barrier that blocked the Arrancar's attack.

"Huh?" The Arrancar stood dumbstruck.

"Hello," Urahara said as the shield shattered, "Sorry about being late, Kurosaki-san."

Ichigo stared at the three new arrivals in shock while the Arrancar made a noise of exasperation.

"What!" he growled, "They just keep coming, one after another..."

Then, a sadistic grin appeared on his face. "Since you like to butt in so much, I'll just kill you first!" he yelled, raising his left arm again, "Sound good?!"

Suddenly, the Arrancar found himself spinning through the air, courtesy of Yoruichi. He landed on the ground so hard that the ground cracked and chunks of earth flew into the air.

"What...the...hell?!" he wheezed as he got back up, "Damn you!"

"I'm going to treat Inoue," Yoruichi said, ignoring the enraged Arrancar, "Give me the medicine."

"Here ya go," Urahara handed her the bottle.

"Hold it...right there!" The Arrancar yelled, reaching for Yoruichi. He found his path intercepted by Saki, who glared at him through cold, green eyes.

"I cannot allow you to attack them, Arrancar," she deadpanned, reaching out towards him so that her palm faced him. A sudden pulsing in the spatial particles between her and the Arrancar sent the latter flying a few yards back. He crashed into a tree, which toppled over with loud snaps and cracks.

A movement at the corner of Saki's eye made the female captain turn around just in time to block a powerful kick from a second Arrancar. This Arrancar was a slender, yet muscular male of average height and a melancholic appearance. His messy black hair was fairly short with a part of his bangs in between his eyes and thick, black eyebrows. His skin was very pale, his upper lip was black, his green eyes had small, slit-shaped pupils, and teal lines descended from the lower part of his eyes.

Saki's eyes widened, the first time she had displayed shock or surprise in over 80 years. "You...!" she started, only to be cut off as the Arrancar dealt a blow to her abdomen, sending her through the air. Recovering quickly, she flipped in midair, landing on her feet a good distance away. Her captain's haori had fallen off in mid-flip and floated down to the ground gently.

"Ul...qui...orra," the big Arrancar said, thinking that his ally had finally decided to help him.

In a flash, Ulquiorra was in front of the other Arrancar. He dealt a heavy blow to his comrade's stomach, surprising everyone by his actions.

The big Arrancar hunched over. "Wh...What are you...doing?"

"Fool!" Ulquiorra spat, "You are too reckless, Yammy. Those two are Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi, and the third one is a captain of the Gotei 13. At your level, it is impossible to win, no matter how much you try."

He moved his hand to tap the space at his side. The scenery peeled apart, revealing pitch-blackness. A Garganta. "Time to retreat," Ulquiorra declared.

"Running away?" Yoruichi asked with a hint of a taunt in her voice.

Ulquiorra scoffed. "What a foolish taunt! If the three of you fight me while trying to protect that trash at the same time, it is fairly obvious who would have the upper hand. My mission here is over," he continued as he and Yammy stepped into the Garganta, "I will report to Aizen-sama that the 'fake' Shinigami he is so interested in is just a piece of trash...unworthy of his attention."

As the Garganta closed up, Ulquiorra coldly indifferent eyes focused on Saki, who stared back, her eyes devoid of emotions. When the portal vanished completely, the captain turned her gaze to the ground.

_Sensei..._

* * *

**_Hey, guys. Just wanted to say thanks for your continued support, you guys are awesome, and I really enjoy reading your reviews. I have another story that I'd like you all to read/review/favorite/follow if you can. It's called Unbreakable Bonds and of course, you can find it on my author's profile. Thanks! :)_**

_Next chapter (filler): Zanpakuto Unknown Arc_


	16. Tension

**_Sorry, guys, but I decided not to do any of the filler arcs after all. Takes up too much time. I'm very sorry! :(_**

**_One quick question: Should Ulquiorra die in this story, or would you guys prefer to have him live? Please review or PM me your answer. If you have done so already, thank you for your opinion! :)_**

**_So far, the results are:  
Live - 5  
Die - 2_**

* * *

Chapter 16: Tension

"You're going back already?" Urahara whined, "But you just got here!"

"The Head Captain would want me to go back and report everything that has happened today," Saki explained, "I've healed Ichigo's wounds, and there really isn't anything else for me to do here."

"Okay, okay," Urahara relented, "I'll keep your Gigai in case you ever return here."

"I hope I never will," Saki sighed, "I don't like the real world much. Too noisy."

"Oh, well, I'll keep your Gigai anyway. I never throw away my creations."

"Do as you wish." Saki opened up a Senkaimon, "Maybe we will see each other again, Urahara-san."

"Maybe we will," Urahara murmured as Saki vanished into the Dangai.

* * *

When Saki arrived back in Soul Society, she was slightly surprised to see Ukitake waiting for her. "Ukitake?" she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Welcome back, Saki-san!" Ukitake raised his hand in a wave, "A captains' meeting has just been called, and I came to make sure you knew."

"Oh. Thank you." By an unspoken agreement, the two of them began to Shunpo to the 1st Squad's barracks together.

"What do you think of the real world?" Ukitake asked, attempting to make small talk.

"Noisy," Saki replied, "I'd rather not go there again. It also stinks of smoke and the air's too stuffy."

Ukitake chuckled. "I expected something along those lines." He saw Saki's lips curl up slightly into a smirk. A few seconds of comfortable silence passed before Ukitake spoke again.

"Saki-san?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like to join me for tea at Ugendo this evening?" Ukitake asked somewhat hesitantly.

"Ugendo?" Saki asked, "What's that?"

"Ah, it's part of my family's estate in Seireitei and where I usually spend time when I'm not in the office," Ukitake explained.

"I see. What time?"

"Does 6:30 sound good to you?"

"Perfectly fine."

By this time, the two of them had arrived at the meeting room. They took their places in line and waited for the Head Captain to begin the meeting, which he did once all captains were accounted for.

"Kuroichi Saki, tell us what happened in the real world."

"Yes, sir."

The other captains remained silent as Saki told Yamamoto everything that had happened in the real world. When the 3rd Squad's captain finished her report, Amina stepped forward unexpectedly.

"You haven't told us everything, Saki," Amina accused, "What's bothering you?"

Saki glanced at her younger sister from the corner of her eyes. "I have reported everything that happened, Amina. There is nothing bothering me," she said calmly.

"Bullshit!" Amina spat all of a sudden, "There's a reason I'm called your sister, and that includes knowing when there's something on your mind."

"And I said that there is nothing on my mind," Saki replied, a tinge of annoyance in her voice this time.

"Enough!" Yamamoto cut in before the argument could escalate, "You have all heard what Captain Kuroichi Saki has just reported. Prepare your squads for the threat of Arrancar, and await further orders. Dismissed!"

Saki was the first one out the doors. Amina stood still for a moment before she suddenly turned and stomped out of the meeting room, her haori billowing behind her. Hanako called after her in a frightened voice, but Amina ignored her sister. More captains began to file out of the room after the enraged female Shinigami, worried about what was going to happen. Meanwhile, Amina finally caught up to Saki right outside the barracks for the 1st Squad.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, KUROICHI SAKI!" Amina yelled, angrier than anyone had ever seen her, "YOU WILL TELL US WHAT'S GOING ON, OR SO HELP ME, I WILL _BEAT _THE ANSWERS OUT OF YOU!"

There was an awkward and tense silence. Hanako's eyes flickered nervously between her older sisters. The other captains were staring at the quarreling pair apprehensively.

Saki stood with her back to Amina, so the latter was unable to see her face. If Amina did, she would have been able to see the pain and confusion that Saki was unable to hide. Dark clouds began to gather above Seireitei, and for the first time, it began to rain heavily. Within seconds, everything was sopping wet.

"Calm down, Amina," Saki said, her voice level and not betraying the swirling torrent of emotions she was feeling inside, "We'll talk later."

"_Don't_ order me around, Saki!" Amina spat, "I've had enough of you hiding things from me and Hanako. You never tell us anything! You didn't say anything after Mother died, you stayed silent when Haruki died, and you were the one who killed Father, weren't you? WEREN'T YOU?" She shouted when Saki didn't answer.

"Now, Amina-chan, don't do this..." Kyouraku started, eyes glittering with worry.

"Stay out of this, Kyouraku-san!" Amina screamed, whirling around to face the brown-haired captain.

"That's right," Saki interrupted. Everyone turned to stare at her as she went on, "The one who murdered Father 89 years ago...was me."

With that sentence, the remaining tendril of Amina's self-control snapped. "TAKE CONTROL!" she roared.

"Amina, no!" Kyouraku shouted.

"YOSO!" The captain of the 9th Division pointed the tip of her zanpakuto at the sky just as a bolt of lightning briefly illuminated Seireitei. Thunder crashed, shaking the very earth and deafening the Shinigami that had come out to see what was going on. The tension had reached its peak.

* * *

_Next chapter: Hanako's Memories_


End file.
